Community integration case decision benefits thousands of individuals in New York City
More than 4,000 individuals with mental illness who live in New York City may have the opportunity to move out of adult care facilities and into the community, according to a federal court ruling. Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis of the Federal District Court in Brooklyn, ruled that the state of New York was violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by housing individuals in more than two dozen adult homes with hardly any opportunities of being integrated into the community. The adult homes were compared to being the same, if not worse, as the state-run mental institutions that were outlawed several decades ago.
The ruling requires the state to create a "remedial plan" for the residents by mid-October and then the judge will issue an injunction to direct the state on the steps required in finding housing in the community that will give individuals the opportunity to receive services in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs. Individuals who are not considered dangerous to themselves or others will be given the choice of moving into the community.
Disability Advocates, the protection and advocacy system (P&A) for New York, originally filed the lawsuit in 2003.
News coverage:
Article posted September 9, 2009
