Connecticut likes to think of itself as a progressive state. Yet when it comes to the civil rights of those with intellectual disabilities, we are not. As Connecticut clings to a discredited institutional approach, many states — including Oklahoma and Tennessee — will observe the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with none of their citizens isolated in segregated institutions. Sadly, “progressive” Connecticut will not be able to do the same. I call on the governor to close the state’s five such institutions by the year 2020.
