FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – October 9, 2012 – Media Advisory

(Rochester, NY) — Green Party Presidential Candidate, Jill Stein, will be meeting with Rochester disability advocates and other interested members of the community on Friday, October 12, 2012 from 3:30pm to 4:30pm at Center for Disability Rights, 497 State Street. The topics of discussion will include health care in general, disability rights and more specifically, M.R. v. Gregoire. People can also participate online at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/center-for-disability-rights

Ms. Stein was invited to the recently held Candidate Forum on Disability Issues, as were the other five candidates on the ballot in New York State. Her campaign was the only Presidential campaign to respond. In lieu of coming to that forum, she was able to be in Rochester on Friday and will be answering questions from the community as well as discussing her decision to make a public statement concerning the ongoing attack on the national disability community by Governor Christine Gregoire of Washington.

Governor Gregoire, a Democrat, is contemplating an appeal to the Supreme Court of a Washington state case, M.R v. Dreyfus. A victorious appeal for the Governor could essentially overturn the Supreme Court’s 1999 Olmstead decision, which mandated that persons with “mental disabilities” be placed in the most integrated setting possible. Since then, persons with any disability has been included in the order to eliminate the institutional bias.

Disability advocates sent numerous pleas to high-ranking Democrats, including President Obama, asking them to speak to Governor Gregoire. Their pleas were ignored. Jill Stein was the only current candidate for office to offer a public statement on the issue. That statement can be read at http://www.adapt.org/home/files/stein_statement.pdf.

For more information on the Jill Stein visit or M.R. v. Gregoire, contact, Kristen Salter, Communications Coordinator – (585) 546-7510 / ksalter@cdrnys.org