ECNV Thanks Lois Curtis for Olmstead

Originally Published November 2022, ECNV Newsletter

Disabilities activist Lois Curtis died earlier this month on November 2, 2022. Her lawsuit against the state of Georgia resulted in the Supreme Court’s landmark Olmstead decision, providing a legal basis for independent living and community integration for Americans with disabilities.

According to the Administration for Community Living, “[Curtis’] willingness to call out the injustice of segregating people with disabilities led first to the Olmstead decision, which then led the Obama Administration to create ACL, an agency devoted to fostering community living for all people with disabilities and older adults. In fact, the mandate for ACL to serve within the federal government as an advocate for people with disabilities, and owes that privilege in part to Lois Curtis.” 

According to her Washington Post obituary, she was also recognized as a pioneer during National Disability Employment Awareness Month.