The Illinois Center for Rehabilitation and Education in Chicago on the West Side is a $6 million facility scheduled to close because of the state’s current budget deficit (“Lawsuit aims to save center for disabled,” Metro, Jan. 5). While staff members will lose jobs, which we know is a significant hardship, and residents will be relocated, a concern of their families, we believe this fiscal “cloud” actually has a silver lining.
Thanks to this planned closing, the center’s approximately 50 residents will have the opportunity to live in a community-based setting rather than in an institution. It’s a sad fact that Illinois houses more people with developmental disabilities in state institutions than most other states–at a huge cost to the state and little benefit to the institutions’ residents. According to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1999 Olmstead decision, states are required to administer their services to the disabled “in the most integrated setting.”
In a way, this closing encourages the state to move toward implementing the Olmstead decision. We believe that community living provides the best opportunity for people with developmental disabilities to reach their highest potential.
