Celebrating Ten Years of Support Services

Hard to believe, but this summer marks ten years of support services in the state of Oregon. Thanks to House Bill 2600, these services are now in Oregon statute.
HISTORY: In January 2000, five individuals with developmental disabilities and their families filed a lawsuit against the state of Oregon.They claimed they were unfairly being denied access to services they were entitled to receive. Staley v. Kitzhaber became a class action representing over 3,000 Oregonians with developmental disabilities. A settlement was reached in September 2000 and the Oregon Legislature made available $37 million general fund dollars for the first biennium of funding. Implementation of the Staley v. Kitzhaber settlement agreement began July 1, 2001. Full implementation is expected to continue and currently over 8,000 people are served statewide by 13 support services brokerages. The settlement agreement was intended to eliminate or significantly reduce the number of individuals with developmental disabilities waiting for services by increasing the availability of comprehensive services on a non-crisis basis and providing Self Directed Support Services for Adults for all eligible individuals.Read more about the settlement and support services here.Text primarily from The Arc of Oregon website.