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JUSTICE DEPARTMENT JOINS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT

WASHINGTON, D.C. Attorney General John Ashcroft released the following statement supporting the Health and Human Services Department formation of an Interagency Council on Community Access.

"On June 18^th President George W. Bush signed the Olmstead executive order directing federal agencies to assist states and localities in ensuring prompt and effective implementation of the U.S. Supreme Court's 1999 Olmstead decision. The Olmstead decision requires states to place individuals with disabilities in community settings rather than institutions, where such placement is appropriate and reasonable.

"The Justice Department is pleased to be a part of the Health and Human Services Department's lead efforts to launch a national assessment of barriers to community living faced by millions of Americans with disabilities and formation of an Interagency Council on Community Access.

"The Justice Department is committed to helping individuals with disabilities gain access to community living and achieving the quality of life that is a fundamental part of American society. Specifically, we want to ensure that persons who are moved from institutional settings to community settings receive the services and care they need when they are placed in the community.

"Eliminating barriers for those with a disability is a responsibility the Department of Justice will continue to safeguard along with the civil rights and liberties guaranteed to all Americans as we commemorate the eleventh anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act."

The Americans with Disability Act was signed into law by former President George H. Bush on July 26, 1990.

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