Ohio Olmstead Task Force
Resource Details
The Ohio Olmstead Task Force (OOTF) is a statewide grassroots coalition of Ohioans with disabilities of all ages, family members, advocates and organizations advocating for the right to live, work and participate in their communities. Formed in 2002, OOTF supports the Supreme Court decision that states unnecessary institutionalization is discrimination against people with disabilities.
The Olmstead lawsuit was filed by two women with disabilities who wanted to move from an institution into the community. Their doctors said they were able to do so, but the institution would not allow them to move. The women won their lawsuit and won again on appeal to the United States Supreme Court. On June 22, 1999 the Court ruled that people with disabilities have the right to live in the community:
If they want to,
If their doctors agree, and
If the state can reasonably accommodate their disabilities in the community.
More than 17 years after the Olmstead decision, OOTF believes many people with disabilities continue living in nursing homes and other institutions. Members are advocating to overcome this discrimination.