Long Road Home
National Event List
150 E. Ponce de Leon Ave., Suite 430
Decatur, GA 30030
Chair: Cheri Mitchell
Phone: (404) 849-8209
Email: or
Join the Long Road Home Movement
Long Road Home is about celebrating and bringing attention to the Olmstead decision.
Olmstead is a Civil Rights Law for
People with Disabilities
Listed below is the Long Road Home events and contact information for 2015. You are encouraged to join the Long Road Home in raising awareness about the Olmstead Decision. In 1999, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in Olmstead v. L.C. that people with disabilities have the right to live in the “most integrated setting,” meaning the community. Even with the support of the Supreme Court, many people with disabilities are still trapped in segregated settings.
Every year across the country, the disability community comes together to host Long Road Home events to raise awareness. Long Road Home was the brainchild of Kate Gainer, who, with People First of Atlanta, started Long Road Home in 2004. These events are an opportunity to have crucial conversations about whether your state is “Olmstead compliant” and to build real collaborations within the disability community. It's simple: Long Road Home is a civil rights movement. People should not be locked away or segregated because they have a disability.
The disability community should be concerned. Sixteen years after the Olmstead decision, many states are still not Olmstead compliant. Now is the time to join the Long Road Home movement. When organizations, businesses, and the community at large stand together with people with disabilities, there is a chance for real change. We encourage you to host a Long Road Home event in your local community in the future.
What is the goal of Long Road Home?
Our goal is to raise awareness about the rights of people with disabilities by holding multiple events around the USA. June 22 is the anniversary of the Olmstead decision. Long Road Home strives to highlight the meaning and importance of Olmstead, in which people with disabilities were expressly given the right to live in and receive services in the community.
Long Road Home Events 2015
Alabama
v People First of Alabama
Contact Susan Elis at (205) 422-5006
Georgia
v Atlanta, GA
Capitol Event
Date: Monday, June 22, 2015
Time: 11:30am Artists with Disabilities display
12:00 Noon Rally
Place: South Wing, 2nd Floor, Georgia State Capitol
Sign language interpreting and Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) will be provided
Contact Cheri Mitchell at (404) 849-8209
v Bainbridge, GA
The BAIN Center for Independent Living
June 25, 2015
There will be a short march from the BAIN Center to the Senior Center, where a celebration will take place. Numerous speakers will present, and a video about Sam Mitchell will be shown. Consumers will share success stories, and refreshments will be served.
Contact Virginia Harris or Tomonia Becon at (229) 246-0150
v Fitzgerald, GA
Contact Marion Jackson at (229) 345-1597
v Gainesville, GA
Contact Perry Abernathy at (770) 534-6656
v Savannah, GA
In recognition and celebration of the anniversary of the Long Road Home, LIFE, Inc. has created a video about the History of Lois and Elaine and the Olmstead decision. The video also recognizes the legacy of that decision and its impact on others faced with similar situations. Consumers Penny and Larry share the stories of their journey with us.
Contact Kelsey Ustrud at (912) 920-2414
v Tifton, GA
Long Road Home Celebration
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Contact Sharon Fullmore at (229) 392-9062 or Hope Brady at (229) 339-0978
v Thomasville, GA
Contact Rocquel Thompson at (229) 225-4065
v Toccoa, GA
Long Road Home Luncheon
Friday, June 26, 2015 at 12 Noon (meal cost is $8)
Swift Multi-Purpose Center
2215 Defoor Road, Toccoa, GA 30577
Contact Jeraldine Hayes at (706) 244-2646
Minnesota
Minnesota has been busy all year raising awareness about Olmstead as part of its Long Road Home efforts.
v We hosted a six-day Olmstead Academy that included 21 leaders from across the state. Six regions of the state are implementing Disability Integration Projects. The projects include concrete strategies that help folks with disabilities be integrated, including living and working side-by-side with everyone else. Groups are working on issues surrounding employment, housing, community living, and transportation.
v We hosted a state conference that included an Art Room. Fifty self-advocates created 90 pieces of art to express what Olmstead means to them.
v On May 26, 2015, there was an exhibit of the art at a gathering to honor Judge Donovan Frank, a federal judge overseeing a Minnesota settlement that includes creation of an Olmstead Plan.
v We will be part of an ADA celebration on July 26, which will include a history exhibit and an art exhibit.
Contact Mary Kay Kennedy at
Nevada
v Reno, NV
People First of Reno/Sparks
Contact Christopher Ripke at (775) 338-3251
North Dakota
v Grand Forks, ND
Friday, June 26, 2015, at 4:00PM to 6:00PM
Location: Listen Drop-In Center, 624 N. Washington Street
Self Advocacy Solutions will be hosting a Long Road Home event. During this round-table session, expect to engage in a lively discussion and take part in a fun activity regarding the Olmstead Decision and your rights as human beings. This is a casual meeting where you will be encouraged to speak up and share your thoughts! Your feedback will be greatly appreciated! Refreshments will be provided and, afterward, you can dance the night away at the Listen Center's Friday Night Dance!
Contact Ciara Meyers at (218) 242-3953 or (701) 772-8829
South Carolina
v Contact Chaqueta Stucky at (843) 616-4351, or Connie Coleman or Kristi Hartwell at (803) 935-5947
West Virginia
v Parkerburg, WV
People First of the Mid-Ohio Valley are having a picnic on June 16, 2015 at the Parkersburg City Park. They will have a couple of self-advocates speak to their group about how they moved from group or family homes to their own home.
Three People First Chapters are having a joint meeting in July. They are People First of Elkins, People First of Paden City, and People First of Buckhannon.
Contact Kevin Smith or Lorraine Swogger at (304) 422-3151
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