Dear Friends and Colleagues:
Supporting people in the most integrated settings possible is one of the key goals of our reform agenda, and today I am pleased to announce that we have reached a major milestone: fewer than 1,000 people are now living in campus-based institutional settings operated by OPWDD.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo is committed to the principle that people with disabilities should have access to community-based services, accessible housing with appropriate supports, and employment opportunities that enable them to live productive lives in their communities. In December 2012, he issued Executive Order 84, directing the establishment of New York State’s Olmstead Plan Development and Implementation Cabinet, which will make recommendations to the governor concerning the development, implementation, and coordination of an Olmstead Plan for the State of New York.
The 1999 US Supreme Court ruling, Olmstead v. L.C., held that “Institutional placements of people with disabilities who can live in, and benefit from, community settings perpetuates the unwarranted assumptions that persons so isolated are incapable or unworthy of participating in community life.” New York’s Olmstead Plan will ensure that people with developmental disabilities live in the most integrated settings possible.
Over the past several decades, OPWDD has helped some 30,000 people move out of institutional settings and into community-based living arrangements. Since March 2011, when I became commissioner of OPWDD, we have helped more than 300 people transition from institutional settings to homes in the community—a nearly 24% decrease. We remain focused on helping individuals still living in state facilities to move into the home of their choosing.
I hope you will join me in celebrating this important moment in OPWDD’s history.
Sincerely,
Commissioner Burke
P.S. Communication is critical to our collective success, and OPWDD’s Facebook page is a great place for individuals, family members, employees, advocates, and other stakeholders to exchange thoughts and ideas. Please feel free to join the conversation.