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Moving Out of State Institutions and Into Communities
The number of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) living in large state institutions has declined over the decades. Most people with IDD now live with family or in small community homes where they are happier and have more control over their lives.
This Data Byte tracks deinstitutionalization from 1998 to 2020.
Forum: ‘We Can’t Go Back’
The Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities recently held a town hall at ICI to hear people with disabilities, their family members, and others tell how cutting Medicaid and closing federal agencies affects them. Staff members of Minnesota’s U.S. Senators and two Members of Congress listened.
Council member Bonnie Jean Smith (right) is a parent of adult children with autism. Fearing for her children, Smith challenged legislators to oppose federal cuts to services for people with disabilities.
Having Real Choice in My Life
Rick Meives (pictured at right with his art teacher) is an autistic artist with Down syndrome who lives with his family. His circle of support includes family, friends, and staff, but he directs his own services.
“I hope I always live where I have choices,” he writes in Impact. “Self-direction has given me years of love from a girlfriend… friends who mean the world to me, and a life I love. I want that until I die.”
