EFE's Community Integration Initiative

Advocacy to Make the ADA's Promise a Reality

Historically, people with disabilities in Illinois and across the country have been isolated and segregated in institutions. When Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, it found that the isolation and segregation of people with disabilities is a serious and pervasive form of discrimination. Congress also found that institutional confinement severely diminishes individuals' everyday life activities, including family relations, social contacts, work, educational advancement and cultural enrichment.

Following the passage of the ADA, the U.S. Department of Justice issued regulations requiring state and local governments to administer their programs in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of people with disabilities. Over the years, many states have recognized that it is better to serve people with disabilities in smaller community-based settings, and these states have committed more resources to integrated environments.

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