Siblings Cody and Kaleigh Brendle, who have intellectual and developmental disabilities, grew up under the protections of the Olmstead Act, a 1999 Supreme Court decision requiring states to provide services to people with disabilities in community settings rather than institutions. Now adults, they fear those rights are shrinking.
The Olmstead ruling established that unnecessary segregation of people with disabilities violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. It transformed how states deliver services, shifting resources toward community-based programs and away from large institutional facilities. For the Brendles, this meant attending regular schools, living in their communities, and accessing typical social opportunities alongside peers without disabilities.
Recent policy shifts and budget pressures threaten this progress. Some states have reduced funding for community integration programs or increased reliance on institutional care. Waiting lists for community services have grown longer in multiple states. The Brendles worry that younger people with disabilities will lose the access to mainstream education and employment that shaped their own lives.
Cody and Kaleigh's concern reflects a broader vulnerability in disability rights enforcement. While the Olmstead decision created a legal framework, implementation depends on state funding and political will. Economic downturns, changing administrations, and competing budget demands have created gaps between the law's intent and practice.
The siblings represent a generation that benefited from decades of disability rights advocacy. Their experience demonstrates what's possible when communities commit resources to inclusion. Their current fight underscores how quickly those gains can erode without sustained attention and protection.
Advocates warn that rolling back community integration services would reverse 25 years of progress and return vulnerable populations to segregated settings that research shows produce worse outcomes. The Brendles' story illustrates why disability rights remain actively contested, not settled.