Support integration into the community

I write in support of Gov. Tom Wolf’s veto of Senate Bill 906 (Feb. 13, “Wolf Veto Boosts Planned Closure of Polk”). I am a longtime advocate of deinstitutionalization and integration into community, along with the advocacy group I serve with.

People with disabilities have a horrible history of being hidden away in attics, literally locked up in their own homes and institutionalized in often very dehumanizing and dignity-ignoring settings.

I commend Mr. Wolf for his strong support of community living supports and his recognition that “all people deserve the opportunity to live among their family and peers in integrated, supportive homes. Quality home and community-based care should be the priority.”

This year, we will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and once again actively remember and remind our shared society that the ADA at its heart is a civil rights legislation.

We have the right to choose where and how we live. We have the right to fully participate in the benefits of community. We have the right to together build more accessible and affordable neighborhoods. We have the right to live, move, roll and have our being in a city that is barrier-free.

Let our funding streams, our legislation and our advocacy efforts be directed to home and community based supports.

We belong — then, now and always.

JANET MINICK Oakland