What Is Olmstead?
In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law, prohibiting state and local governments from discriminating against people with disabilities by excluding them from participating in, or receiving benefits from, government services, programs, or activities. The ADA requires state and local governments to administer services, programs, and activities in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of qualified individuals with disabilities. This is often called the ADA’s “Integration mandate.”
The first case to challenge this integration mandate was, Olmstead v. L.C., in which the Supreme Court ruled that people with disabilities have the right to live and receive care in the community rather than in an institutional setting. In this 1999 decision, the Supreme Court also indicated that states could have a “comprehensive, effective working plan” to demonstrate compliance with the ADA’s integration mandate. These plans are often referred to as “Olmstead plans.”
Under Olmstead, states must demonstrate that they are able to provide services to people with disabilities in integrated settings, within certain limits:
- the person must want community-based services;
- the person’s treatment team must consider community-based services appropriate;
- and it must be reasonable to accommodate the community-based services, taking into account state resources and the needs of others with disabilities.
The Office of Disability Rights has created a Faces of Olmstead project to highlight District residents with disabilities who live successfully in the community through community-based services.
Olmstead Planning in the District of Columbia
Update October 2024: The 2025-2027 District Olmstead Plan Second Draft fine tunes strategies and metrics for the priorities of housing, healthcare, employment, and transportation. Agencies responsible for metrics are currently adding missing baseline data and benchmarks. Please note that ODR is planning to publish the final version of this plan in December 2024. Please send an email to [email protected] or call ODR at 202-724-5055 for any questions or to submit comments and feedback regarding the second draft of the 2025-2027 Plan.
Update September 2024: The third and final Olmstead Townhall to collect additional community input will be on October 1, 2024 from 5-7pm at THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave SE, Washington, DC 20020. Register here: https://thedistrictsthirdolmsteadtownh.splashthat.com/.
Update June 21, 2024: The Olmstead Working Group was developed with the advice and recommendations of ODR and other agencies serving people with disabilities. The Group is comprised of representatives from District agencies as well as community stakeholders, including people with disabilities and advocates for people with disabilities. Together, the Working Group advises District Government agencies on what the Plan should look like and what the priorities should be.
The District has started gathering community input and development of its 2025-2027 Olmstead Plan. The first townhall on February 26, 2024 and the second townhall on June 18, 2024 both provided valuable input on how the District should revise its existing Olmstead Plan.
The 2025-2027 District Olmstead Plan First Draft focuses on the priorities of housing, healthcare, employment, and transportation.
Please send an email to [email protected] or call ODR at 202-724-5055 for any questions or to submit comments and feedback regarding the first draft of the 2025-2027 Plan. Please note that ODR is planning to draft two more versions of this plan before issuing a finalized version by the end of December 2024.
Printable Version of Plans, Metrics, and Other Related Materials:
2025-2027 District Olmstead Plan Second Draft
Olmstead Community Town Hall, October 1, 2024
Olmstead Conference, September 17, 2024
Comments to the 2025-2027 Olmstead Plan First Draft:
- Georgetown University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
Olmstead Community Town Hall 2025-2027 Plan First Draft Virtual Meeting, July 17, 2024
2025-2027 District Olmstead Plan First Draft
Olmstead Community Town Hall, June 18, 2024
Olmstead Community Town Hall, February 26, 2024
2021-2024 Agency Quarterly Reports and Dashboard: https://odr.dc.gov/page/2021-agency-quarterly-reports
2021-2024 District Olmstead Plan
Comments to the 2021-2024 Olmstead Plan: https://odr.dc.gov/page/2021-Olmstead-Plan-Constituent-Comments
Olmstead Community Town Hall, December 7, 2022
Olmstead Community Town Hall, May 26, 2021: https://odr.dc.gov/page/olmstead-townhall-materials-may-26-2021
January 2021 Olmstead Plan Update: Olmstead Plan January 2021 Update.
2020 Agency Quarterly Reports: https://odr.dc.gov/page/2020-olmstead-agency-reports
2020 Olmstead Conference, September 21-23, 2020: https://odr.dc.gov/page/olmstead-conference-2020
2020 Olmstead Community Townhall Materials, July 21, 2020: https://odr.dc.gov/page/2020-olmstead-community-townhall-july-21-2020
2020 Olmstead Working Group Minutes: https://odr.dc.gov/page/2020-olmstead-working-group-meeting-minutes-and-documents
2020 Olmstead Community Townhall Materials, April 28, 2020: https://odr.dc.gov/page/olmstead-community-townhall-meeting-materials-april-28-2020
2020 Agency Reports and Summaries: https://odr.dc.gov/page/2020-olmstead-agency-reports
2019 Agency Quarterly Reports: https://odr.dc.gov/page/2019-olmstead-agency-quarterly-reports
2018 Agency Quarterly Reports and Plan Amendments: https://odr.dc.gov/page/2018-olmstead-quarterly-reports-and-plan-amendments
2017 Agency Quarterly Reports: http://odr.dc.gov/page/2017-olmstead-agency-quarterly-reports
2016 Olmstead Plan and Appendices:http://odr.dc.gov/page/016-olmstead-plan-and-appendices
2016 Olmstead Working Group Meeting Minutes: http://odr.dc.gov/page/dc-olmstead-working-group-meeting-minutes
2016 Agency Quarterly Reports: http://odr.dc.gov/page/2016-agency-quarterly-reports
2015 Calendar Year Annual Summary: http://odr.dc.gov/page/dc-one-community-all-2015-annual-summary
2015 Calendar Year Agency Olmstead Goals: http://odr.dc.gov/page/2015-calendar-year-agency-olmstead-goals
2015 Olmstead Plan: http://odr.dc.gov/release/dc-one-community-all-fy-2015-community-integration-plan
2015 Olmstead Plan Addendum: http://odr.dc.gov/page/2015-olmstead-community-integration-plan-and-addendum
2015 Agency Quarterly Reports: http://odr.dc.gov/page/olmstead-community-integration-quarterly-reports
2014 Agency Goal Summary: http://odr.dc.gov/release/odr-releases-dc-one-community-all-fy-14-agency-goal-summary
2013 Fiscal Year Olmstead Plan : http://odr.dc.gov/release/dc-office-disability-rights-releases-dc-one-community-all-fy-2013-olmstead-community