Though unnecessary segregation of people with disabilities is prohibited, many people who wish to remain in the community are forced into institutions or are stuck on waiting lists. This is a result of the fact that because of the funding offered to service providers, there aren’t enough service providers. And because of that, people have to live in institutions.

In California in the late 1990s, over 180,000 people with disabilities relied on Medicaid to provide services, but this funding disparity seriously compromised the quality of care they received and left almost 2,000 people unnecessarily stuck in institutions. In 2000, the Law Center filed Sanchez v. Johnson, a class action lawsuit on behalf of seven individuals with developmental disabilities and six organizations.

Case Progress