09/02/2026
Protecting The Promise of Olmstead: Vermont’s Commitment to Disability Rights and Community-Based Care
The measure of a community is reflected in how it values every person who calls it home. People with disabilities have the same right as anyone else to dignity, autonomy, individual choice, and full participation in community life. At Vermont Care Partners, we believe protecting those rights strengthens all of Vermont.
The Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C. was a landmark civil rights decision that affirmed what people with disabilities and their advocates had long fought for - that disability should never be a reason someone is separated from their family, their community, or the life they want to live.
For generations, people with disabilities were placed in institutions, excluded from schools and workplaces, and denied the opportunity to fully participate in community life. The Americans with Disabilities Act, its integration mandate, and the Olmstead decision changed that trajectory by recognizing that inclusion, autonomy, and choice are not privileges. They are rights.
The full statement can be found here https://vermontcarepartners.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/VCP-Statement-on-Olmstead-2026.pdf
