On June 18, 2026, four days before the 27th Anniversary of the Olmstead Decision, the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel issued an opinion asserting that there is no integration mandate under Title II of the ADA or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. This is contrary to nearly three decades of precedent supporting an integration mandate. The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies (The Partnership) condemns this opinion. While the opinion does not change the law or set a precedent, it makes the administration’s position on the rights of disabled people clear: we do not deserve to live in the community.
The Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel opinion does not overturn Olmstead v. Lois Curtis, change the ADA, or invalidate decades of court decisions recognizing the right of disabled people to receive services in the most integrated setting appropriate to our needs. However, it signals a troubling shift away from the federal government's longstanding support for community living, Medicaid rebalancing, and disability integration.
For disabled disaster survivors, the stakes are especially high. Disasters frequently disrupt housing, transportation, healthcare, personal assistance services, and other supports that allow people to remain in their communities. According to the National Council on Disability, disabled people are more likely to be institutionalized during disasters. At a time when disabled people are already disproportionately at risk of institutionalization during and after disasters, any effort to weaken community integration threatens both civil rights and disaster resilience. This opinion seeks to make it even harder for disabled people to return to the community, despite decades of advocacy, activism, policy change, and litigation aimed at ending institutionalization and increasing community supports.
While we don’t know the exact ramifications of this opinion, we are certain The Partnership and the disability community will never stop fighting to prevent our disabled siblings from being institutionalized and to support them in moving out of institutions of all kinds.
The Partnership Condemns DOJ Opinion Attacking the Integration Mandate
Updated: June 23, 2026 by admin
On June 18, 2026, four days before the 27th Anniversary of the Olmstead Decision, the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel issued an opinion asserting that there is no integration mandate under Title II of the ADA or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. This is contrary to nearly three decades of precedent supporting an integration mandate. The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies (The Partnership) condemns this opinion. While the opinion does not change the law or set a precedent, it makes the administration’s position on the rights of disabled people clear: we do not deserve to live in the community.
The Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel opinion does not overturn Olmstead v. Lois Curtis, change the ADA, or invalidate decades of court decisions recognizing the right of disabled people to receive services in the most integrated setting appropriate to our needs. However, it signals a troubling shift away from the federal government's longstanding support for community living, Medicaid rebalancing, and disability integration.
For disabled disaster survivors, the stakes are especially high. Disasters frequently disrupt housing, transportation, healthcare, personal assistance services, and other supports that allow people to remain in their communities. According to the National Council on Disability, disabled people are more likely to be institutionalized during disasters. At a time when disabled people are already disproportionately at risk of institutionalization during and after disasters, any effort to weaken community integration threatens both civil rights and disaster resilience. This opinion seeks to make it even harder for disabled people to return to the community, despite decades of advocacy, activism, policy change, and litigation aimed at ending institutionalization and increasing community supports.
While we don’t know the exact ramifications of this opinion, we are certain The Partnership and the disability community will never stop fighting to prevent our disabled siblings from being institutionalized and to support them in moving out of institutions of all kinds.
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