The New Baseline and Funding for Value
One of the frustrations of the last decades of the 20th Century was that the outcomes described in A New Way of Thinking were often seen as off in the distance. In community after community, people were experiencing homes of their own, real learning, real work, and relationships. These achievements, quite rightly, became the cause for celebration. But for many, these are not the outcomes of daily life. They should be the routine, predictable outcomes of a system dedicated to a meaningful life in the community. Self advocates and those who stand beside them are clear – the job is far from over.
The self advocates movement, people like ourselves, people with disabilities need to have a voice, to have opportunities to have a better life. The Olmstead decision was a wake up call for our movement because people are talking more community services and how we can get services in more self directed ways to empower people to get services themselves.
James Meadours, Past Chair of SABE