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Disability Rights Group Sues State of Ohio
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – A disability rights group is suing the state, claiming Ohio forces people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to receive services in institutional settings due to a lack of community options.
Disability Rights Ohio filed the lawsuit Thursday in Columbus federal court on behalf of six people who the group says are, or are at risk of being, “needlessly institutionalized” because of barriers to community-based services.
The suit seeks class-action status for about 27,800 disabled people in similar situations.
The complaint alleges the plaintiffs are unnecessarily segregated in violation of federal law because of how Ohio funds and administers its service system.
The state says improvements are in the works. Those include nearly $300 million in the latest budget to expand community-based options for people with developmental disabilities and their families.