As I woke up on Monday, June 22nd, I was excited to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Olmstead decision. The outcome of the court case was a landmark ruling that the unjustified institutional isolation of people with disabilities is a form of discrimination under the American with Disabilities Act.

During a meeting at work, President Obama’s press release marking the Olmstead anniversary was read, announcing his new initiatives to assist Americans with disabilities. As it was being read, I first thought, “Wow, he is creating over 1,000 new housing vouchers for people with disabilities transitioning from institutions into the community and over 3,000 housing vouchers for non-elderly people with disabilities. This is great!”But then, on a more disturbing note, why didn’t President Obama mention anything about ending the institutional bias in long term services and supports? It isn’t like he isn’t familiar with the Community Choice Act, which would end the institutional bias. He was previously a Senate co-sponsor.

At the end of the press release Obama stated, “The Administration acknowledges that strides have been made, and knows and accepts that there is much work to do in order to maximize the choices and opportunities for individuals to receive long-term services and supports in institutional and community settings.”

This says the Administration would be working for more services and supports both in the institutions as well as in the community. In institutional settings? What is this?! It’s the 10th anniversary of the court ruling that our integration was a civil right and the president of our nation practically concludes his statement with: but we’ll make sure we have options for you folk to still be segregated. This is unfathomable and unacceptable.

As one of my best friends stated, services and supports in an institution is like asking Black folks in the segregated schools in the 50’s if they would like colored pencils and more books in their “colored only” schools. No one, and I mean NO ONE, would choose the anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education to say: what about all the good things those segregated schools did?

Separate is NOT equal and services and supports in an institution is oxymoronic and unacceptable. It is clear that the President either doesn’t understand the disability rights movement, or is caving in to pressures from the institutions and health care unions in the institutions. Whichever it is, it doesn’t bode well for the over 300,000 people currently stuck in nursing homes who have already said they want to get out.