There are still a lot of institutions open that need to be closed.
People need to get the supports that they need, the right supports to be able to live in the community like everybody else.
Some states don't even know what self determination is. They don't have any kind of idea of how that can make a difference in helping people to be able to make their own choices and to live in the community like everybody else. If the money followed the person, people would be able to choose the people they want to work with them, the people they want to support them.
Tia Nelis, Founding member, People First of Illinois
The challenge in these early days of the 21st Century is to see the positive achievements as only the beginning. They should not be seen as the examples of excellence, merely as the baseline upon which to improve and grow.