The impact of the U.S. Supreme Court decision Olmstead v. L.C. continues to generate concerns from family members, caregivers, community organizations and individuals with developmental disabilities throughout the transition process into more integrated work settings. As a result, the Assembly Minority Task Force on Protecting the Rights of People with Developmental Disabilities has been created to evaluate the effectiveness of current transition plans for those in sheltered workshops, developmental centers, and community homes and to ensure that the input and desires of people with developmental disabilities are being considered.

The task force will be hosting regional forums across the state in an effort to better address the current transition plans and other important issues facing individuals with disabilities and their families. The ninth event will take place on Thursday, May 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Genesee Community College, Best Center Room T-119, 1 College Rd., Batavia.

“Individuals with developmental disabilities, their families and caregivers, and mental health professionals have expressed serious concerns with recent closures of sheltered workshops across the state. The feedback has highlighted the problem with the state’s ‘one-size fits all’ approach that has failed on many levels,” said Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia). “Listening to stakeholders’ experiences and stories at the forum will allow us as legislators to understand how we can better protect the rights of those with developmental disabilities.”

Representatives from non-profit organizations and facilities, community leaders and mental health experts have been invited to attend and provide testimony. The task force is also encouraging individuals with disabilities and their families to share their firsthand experiences as a result of the Olmstead Decision.

“A concerted, statewide effort to improve services for those with developmental disabilities is the only way to make certain every New Yorker is fairly represented,” said Assemblyman Clifford W. Crouch (R-Bainbridge), task force chairman. “No New Yorker should be marginalized, and it is our job to make sure that never happens. Together, we will address the concerns of those with developmental disabilities and aggressively tackle those concerns head-on.”

For more information on the task force, please contact the Assembly Minority Office of Public Affairs at 518-455-5073.