by Beverlyn Mendez, Ed.D
When ESSC honored Black Americans who have advocated for the inclusion of people with disabilities, I immediately thought of one of my heroes I researched for my dissertation, Disability Advocate Lois Curtis. Her actions directly relate to our work here at Easterseals Southern California!
Lois Curtis is best known as the face of Olmstead v. LC, the 1999 landmark Supreme Court decision securing people with disabilities’ right to live in their community rather than in institutions.
As a child, Lois was diagnosed with intellectual and mental health disabilities. At 11-years-old, she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. In her 20’s, Lois wanted to move out, and her treatment team supported her decision to live in the community. However, the State refused to fund the supports she needed, so she remained institutionalized against her will.
Lois advocated for herself by persistently calling the Atlanta Legal Aid Society. Her first message to her attorney was direct and clear, “I want to get out!” Together, they proved the State violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to support her in the community.
Her case made it to the U.S. Supreme Court, which issued a ruling requiring all states to ensure people with disabilities receive services in integrated settings. Listen to the Supreme Court Opinion Announcement read by the honorable late justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
All states, including California, were required to develop Olmstead Plans. The plans helped speed the closure of our developmental centers, support people to move to Living Options such as those provided by ESSC and receive community-based services such as our WorkFirst and Adult Day Services. Olmstead plans also laid the groundwork for providing treatment to those at risk of institutionalization with services such as our Severe Behavior Services and Autism Services.
Because of Lois Curtis’s long-standing commitment to freedom for all, people with disabilities can participate fully in community life. Lois and other civil rights icons all have one thing in common: we will feel their impact for generations to come.
Lois still lives in her own home near family and friends in Georgia, where she sings, writes songs, and creates art. In 2011 she presented an original self-portrait to President Barak Obama.
Watch this two-minute video to experience Lois in recent years: The Art of Being LC.
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