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Today is the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This was a landmark piece of legislation, and yet it still falls short of providing true protections from discrimination in a number of ways, including how many can adapt to COVID. https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-07-25/ada-30-update-covid19-americans-with-disabilities-act
Even beyond the new problems emerging from incomplete and/or discriminatory tech solutions, the ADA has not prevented people with disabilities from being over-institutionalized. We need solutions to housing and services that allow community support. http://cdrnys.org/blog/advocacy/unnecessary-institutionalization-is-discrimination/
Nearly every branch of my family has faced institutionalization or violence due to their mental or behavioral health, and often intersecting identities have exacerbated these issues. We cannot simply lock people up and assume a problem is solved.
When my great-grandmother, a Syrian-American woman, was institutionalized for "melancholy" she was facing the compounding effects of being a brown woman facing mental health issues in the 60s.
When my grandfather died by suicide in the 80s, he was facing the compounding issue of a lack of support for veterans returning home.
When I was 19 and went to the psych ward after a close call with suicide, doctors attempted to keep me there longer than they legally could. They were clear in their understanding that they didn't have legal grounds but wanted to use the delays in the courts to their advantage.
The ADA--and our laws in Washington--fall short because society has been content to lock people up (or sweep people away) instead of invest in building community solutions to keep people living independent and dignified lives.
We need to do more to invest in housing solutions, restorative solutions, and community-based solutions for people with all forms of disabilities. We won't have an equitable future without building solutions and power that work for everyone. https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/politics-government/article200994919.html
And we need folks with disabilities at the table for these discussions. Not just advocates, not just parents, but folks who are actually experiencing life with physical and mental disabilities.
Without this representation, even our Democrat-dominated legislature will continue to focus on problematic bills like SB 5720 on how to lock people up for longer instead of adequately funding the services that prevent people from getting to crisis in the first place.
