The Olmstead Decision 25 Years Later

CHCS June 24, 2024
Valerie Flores and Sarah Triano, Center for Health Care Strategies

Kenzaburo Oe, Nobel laureate and father of a disabled son, once said that “one does not truly know a culture until one knows how its disabled people interpret it, live it, critique it, and comment upon it.” U.S. Supreme Court decisions from the 20^th century provide a critical window into American culture and the titanic shift that occurred in how disabled people experience it, particularly given the stark contrast between Supreme Court decisions in 1927 and 1999.

What can explain such a powerful cultural and legal shift? The Olmstead decision came about through decades of tireless advocacy by disabled people. It effectively freed millions of disabled people from unnecessary segregation just because they need help getting out of bed, bathing,...

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