If you read me, you know I promised to break down the new letter from Liberators4Justice asking all to sign a recommitment letter to the Independent Living Movement. I want to talk about the second part of the recommitment letter, Deinstitutionalization
The big bullets are:
- Civil Rights & Disability Justice
- Disability Leadership and Staffing
- Choice, Control & Community Supported Self-Determination
- Advocacy
- Deinstitutionalization
- Non-Conflicted Services
- Financial Equity and Integration
- Respect & Empathy
Let’s talk about the Fifth bullet, Deinstitutionalization
The letter says the following:
“Institutional entitlement continues to isolate our community. We commit to being unequivocal in our advocacy for community integration for people with all disabilities.”
Here, we are focusing on the fact that deinstitutionalization is about breaking down the idea that disabled people must live separately from everyone else in order to get support. It means advocating for housing, services, and support systems that make full community life possible.
That includes:
- Supporting people to move out of institutions into homes of their choosing.
- Ensuring funding follows the person, not the institution.
- Building systems that default to community-based supports—not institution-based.
- Challenging laws, policies, or mindsets that still treat institutional care as the “safer” or “easier” option.
Talking Points
- What Deinstitutionalization Means:
- Supporting people with disabilities to move from institutions like nursing homes, group homes, or intermediate care facilities into housing and communities they choose for themselves.
- Making sure support services are available in people’s homes and communities, not just in institutions. Services like personal care attendants, adaptive technology, or job coaching
- Advocating for policies that fund and prioritize home and community-based services (HCBS) rather than institutional care by default.
- Why It’s Still an Issue Today:
- Many people assume institutions are a thing of the past, but plenty of disabled folks still get placed there because there aren’t enough community options.
- Disabled people with high support needs often face the hardest time accessing community living options, especially when funding or staffing is limited.
- Once placed in an institution, it can be hard for someone to leave because of legal, financial, or bureaucratic barriers.
- How IL Organizations Can Lead:
- Build partnerships with housing agencies, service providers, and policymakers to expand community living options.
- Educate the public and decision-makers about the importance of community integration as a civil rights issue.
- Advocate for better funding and policy protections to make community living truly possible for all people with disabilities.
We can promote a more inclusive and equitable society where individuals with disabilities have the opportunity to live with dignity, autonomy, and full participation in their communities. And when I say we, I mean all of us. We are all responsible to make the world the best place for everyone in it. And remembering that equal rights for one group does NOT diminish the equal rights of another.
The letter to commit to standing behind and reigniting the Independent Living Movement is still taking sign-ons. You can find the full letter here and make the choice to sign on if you wish. Go to the letter and signature page of the IL Movement Recommitment Letter.
Want to talk about it? Reach out to The Information Tamer.
