The Olmstead Decision and the Journey Toward Integration

Summary

The Olmstead decision declared unnecessary institutionalization as discrimination and triggered an expansion of community-based care for all people with disabilities including the elderly, thus accelerating integration. Setting a context for Olmstead and related social work interventions, this paper describes the evolution of definitions of disability and examines how social work has responded to the development of critical social policies aimed at increasing community integration.

Key Words:

• Olmstead decision
• integration
• health and long-term care
• persons with disabilities
• older people
• social policy
• social work interventions