The recent uproar over the prospect of a new home being purchased for six young adults with disabilities by residents of the Henrietta neighborhood focused on everything but the actual people who would be moving into the neighborhood. http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=59aea388-4d05-4971-8974-e17c585f4378

The current neighborhood residents are expressing concerns over existing traffic problems, potential negative impact on property values and how a group home would supposedly change “the character” of the neighborhood. This is an issue that is hotly debated every time a group home is proposed in someone’s backyard.

The best excuse I can make for the Henrietta residents is that they are afraid of the unknown, although I do not think I should be making excuses for this kind of ignorance.

Instead of talking about their real ignorance or fears, they spout concerns that they think will be the politically correct way of saying they do not want “those people”. But it’s just a vain cover-up. The residents don’t want “those people” to share their neighborhood, shop in their stores or strike up conversation during an evening walk.

Until the deinstitutionalization movement of the 1960s and 1970s, individuals with disabilities were warehoused in institutions and stripped of their civil rights. The average American had no contact with individuals with disabilities and children born with a disability were often considered a tragedy and quickly whisked away. The institutional setting was considered the best place for people with disabilities to live. No thought was given to the fact that people with disabilities have hopes, dreams and emotions as every human being does.

Parents were the driving force behind the development of group homes. Many went against the advice of family, friends and the medical community and chose to raise their children who had disabilities instead of placing them in an institution. As the children grew older, the parents looked for a way to ensure their safety and to increase their independence.

The first group homes in our communities were opened by non-profit organizations formed by the parents of children with disabilities. Further strengthening the development of group homes was the Fair Housing Act of 1968, which prohibited discrimination based on disability. Statistics show between 1987 and 1999 the number of group homes increased by 240% and exist in neighborhood of all economic levels. (http://www.minddisorders.com/Flu-Inv/Group-homes.html)

As you read this, keep in mind that the Center for Disability Rights does not own or operate any group homes and typically we advocate for more integrated settings. And while group homes are not the ideal for many people with disabilities, they did open the door for individuals with disabilities to live in the community instead of being forced into those life stifling institutions. For many, a group home is a stepping stone toward living in their own apartment and an increase in independence. People with disabilities should have this choice without fear of a neighbor, or many neighbors, protesting!

But the same uproar we are seeing about group homes also happens with other “special needs” housing. Members of our organization attended a neighborhood meeting about building housing for people with disabilities. Neighbors loudly opposed the project and even confronted our members in the parking lot. A man shouted, “Wouldn’t you people be happier living out in the country?” One of our members looked at the man incredulously. She explained that she couldn’t get attendant services or Lift Line services in the country. Even with this explanation, the man continued to insist that the woman needed to live someplace else.

Plain and simple, people with disabilities have the right to live in the most integrated setting possible. People with disabilities should be able to live in whatever neighborhood they want and decorate their home as they choose, even if they decide to put 100 pink flamingos in the front yard (subject to compliance with local zoning ordinances, like everyone else!).

What if we held a public forum to decide if YOU could buy a home in such-and-such neighborhood? Would we allow a neighborhood to hold a public forum to decide if an African-American or Hispanic family could move in? While some neighborhoods, no doubt, would like the option, there would be a massive outcry and the concept would be universally condemned, but this is acceptable when the people who want to move in have disabilities.

I am appalled that in 2008 we are still reading articles in the newspaper about our own neighbors protesting a community-based life for persons with disabilities. I am appalled that that we allow people to compare a person’s right to live in a home of their choosing with ridiculous notion of decreased property values.

Indeed, why are we even having this discussion anymore?