Long Road Home- Olmstead, its the law! Set Our People Free!
Long Road Home is a week of events leading up to the anniversary of Olmstead on June 22.
Our Goal:
The events scheduled to celebrate the Landmark Supreme Court Olmstead Decision. The events are intended to bring public awareness to the meaning and spirit of the decision and to the many people with disabilities still waiting for that decision to be implemented so they can be freed from institutions across the USA so they can live a meaningful quality of life in their community of choice
People First Vows to End Institutional Bias in Georgia and the USA!
After having our first Long Road Home Event outside of Georgia in South Carolina in 2011. People First of Georgia hopes to expand Long Road Home nationally. If you are interested in joining us in our efforts contact National Long Road Home Coordinator Cheri Mitchell at cmitchell@thegao.org, cherimitchellg@gmail.com or call 678-755-6015 see below for more details
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Long Road Home 2012 National Planning call
} Would your People First Chapter, your state’s self advocacy organization or your organization like to host a Long Road Home celebration in June 2012?
} There is a national conversation about how to spread Long Road Home across the USA to celebrate Olmstead
} If your organization or self advocacy group is interested please join us
} We will explain what Long Road Home is and how your organization can become involved
} On March 6, 2012 at 1pm EST
} Call In Info:
} Participants pass code: 940938
} Toll free phone in number is 1-888-394-8197
} Mini grant funds are available for Georgia People First Chapters
}
} Check for the latest updates on the
} People First Website at www.peoplefirstga.org
} Or for more information contact Cheri Mitchell at (678) 755-6015 or email at cmitchell@thegao.org
Steps to organize a Long Road home Event
- Organize a committee and pick a chair. The chair will need to participate in national planning phone calls. The chair will also need to contact National chair and let him or her know you will be participating. The national chair will be glad to help in any way, please feel free to call anytime.
- Decide when you want to do your event. Most events take place the week before or on June 22 (anniversary of Olmstead.)
- Decide what your event will be and where.
- Set a meeting date once a month, so everyone can get it on their calendar.
- At the end of each meeting have a “to do” list and who is doing it.
- You need to turn in your info to the national chair for it to be posted on the website.
A Long Road Home event can be what ever your committee decides as long as it stays true to the goals of Long Road Home. Some Long Road Home events in the past have been a rally, a march and a rally, a meeting, a lunch and learn, a party with speakers, and a movie with a speaker. Just remember Long Road Home is about celebrating Olmstead and bring attention to what Olmstead is and the fact that there are People with Disabilities waiting to be free!
Common things that happen at every event are freedom stories and a voter registration table.
Freedom stories are told by and about people who have gotten out of nursing facilities and institutions.
2012 National Chair is Cheri Mitchell
Phone 678-755-6015
Toll free 800-537-2329 (Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm) (voice or TDD)
Email cmitchell@thegao.org or cherimitchellg@gmail.com
Fax 404-378-0031 mark it “attn: Cheri Mitchell”
You can check out this website for more information and for updates
National Plannning phone calls are:
– November 17, 2011
– January 6, 2012
– March 6, 2012
– May 7, 2012
– June 6, 201
- At 1pm EST
- Call In Info:
- Participants pass code: 940938
- Toll free phone in number is 1-888-394-8197
See below for an idea of what Long Road Home celebrations looked like in 2011
Long Road Home 2011 Events
June 15th- Decatur GA Will be at Holy Trinity Church at 515 E Ponce de Leon Ave, Decatur, GA 30030 time 11am to 2pm For more info All welcomed to join us for this event!For more info contact Josh Cusick at jbcusick@gmail.com or Jenny Puestow at 404-885-1234. We want to thank People first of Atlanta, People First of GA, The Georgia Advocacy Office, GA Council on Develpmental Disabilities, (GCDD), GA mental Health Consumer Network, Peer support and Wellness Center, disABILITY LINK, Center For Leadership in Disability at GSU, Atlanta ADAPT, Empowering Our Youth, Friends of l'Arche Atlanta, Holy Trinity Church and Atlanta Legal aid’s Disability rights and Mental health unit for making this event happen.
June 16th- Dalton, GA at Dalton City Hall from 4 to 6 pm. We want to Thank Northwest Georgia Chapter of People First, Cross Plains Community Partner and GA Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) for making this event happen. For more info contact Faith Reed at 423- 902-5896 or 706- 278-8143.
June 18th- Gainesville, GA-Disability Resource Center is proud to present The Long Road Home Event: “Celebrating Abilities” June 18th 11:00am -2:30pm in Roosevelt Square in Downtown Gainesville Georgia. Come join us as we celebrate abilities with a free hotdog lunch, Music Sensations The Lefty Williams Band who is quoted as “ Not just a great guitar player who is one-armed, but is a great guitar player”, and other talents from the disability community. For information on this event please contact Disability Resource Center at770-534-6656. LRH statewide committee wants to thank The Disability Resource Center and People First of NE GA for hosting this event.
June 20th- Savannah, GA -guest speaker will be Willie Bivins
for more info Mark Swift at mswift@lifecil.com or call 912.920.2414 The evnt will take place at and hosted by Living Independence for Everyone (LIFE), Inc. We Thank LIFE for making this event happen.
June 21st- North Augusta, SC –will take place at Walton Options located at 325 Georgia Avenue, North Augusta, SC . They will be show the First Long Road Home video that was inducted into the civil rights hall fame in 2005. For more info contact Carla Cook at (803) 279-9611. We want to Thank Walton option for making this event happen.
June 22- Fitzgerald GA-a march with a rally for more info contact Constance Foster, Residential Supervisor at The Jessamine Place, 402 South Main Street, Fitzgerald,Ga. 31750. Telephone: (229) 426-5298 We want to thank People First of Fitzgerald, Jessamine Place, GA Council on Developmental Disabilities for making this event happen.
June 22- Rome GA- disABILITY LINK NW will be having a Lunch-n-Learn on June 22, 2011 from 9 am to 1 pm. We will meet at Sara Hightower Regional Library in the Oostanaula and Etowah Rooms. For more info, please call Andy Wade at 706.314.0008 or 866.888.7845. You can also email him at awade@disabilitylink.org . We want to Thank Disability Link NW for making this event happen
June 22nd- Bainbridge, GA - will take place at Decatur County Senior Citizens Center located at 402 W. Water Street Bainbridge, GA Wednesday, June 22nd from 2:00 pm- 4:00 pm Refreshments will be served.For more info contact BAIN, Inc. Center for Independent Living Phone: 229-246-0150 bain@surfsouth.com Please RSVP at 229-246-0150. We want to Thank Bain Inc and people First of Thomasville and GA Council on Developmental disabilities for making this event happen.
June 22nd -Main Celebration at Capitol Atlanta GA -time 11am to 2pm We will have speakers, and an art display featuring the work of artists with Disabilities. We want to the GA Advocacy office, Center for Leadership in Disability at GSU, GA Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD), People First of GA, People first of Atlanta, GA mental Health Consumer Network, Peer Support and Wellness Center, disABILITY LINK, Atlanta ADAPT, Empowering Our Youth, and Atlanta Legal aid’s Disability rights and Mental health unit for making this event happen. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
History and Purpose
The Annual Celebration of The Olmstead Decision of 1999
The Olmstead Decision of 1999 ( see more info on Olmstead Decision click http://www.atlantalegalaid.org/impact.htm )
was a landmark Supreme Court decision ordering the states to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act by providing services to people with disabilities in the least restrictive environment.
Long Road Home March (LRH) and Celebrations – since 2004, we have been doing Long Road Home. Self Advocates from around Georgia organized the LRH, We have done marchs, rallies and caravans to demonstrate the lack of community-based services. We vowed to continue until we have full compliance of Olmstead in Georgia. Help us plan for 2011 by organizing an event in your area. We are determined to rid Georgia of institutional bias. The purpose of this campiagn is to call the attention of Governor, State Legislature, Agency and Department officials and the general public to the fact that :
- Independent living is something that most Georgians take for granted, but for Georgians with disabilities, this is not the daily reality of life.
- The US Supreme Court affirmed, on June 22, 1999, that states must “allow and aid” those who want to live in the community to do so, by providing community-based services (rather than institutionalization.) Even though this decision, known as the Olmstead decision, originated from a case in Georgia, our state lags behind in assisting Georgians with disabilities in leading full and productive lives.
- Many Georgians with significant disabilities currently need help to either stay out of institutions or get out of institutions; some people have been waiting for 50 years for appropriate services. The fact that they could live in the community at a less cost to medicaid still has not spured Georgia to become Olmstead compliant.
We are currently looking for People first Chapters, other groups, or organization to organize local clebrations in their area for the week before June 22. 2012. We are looking to expand Long Road Home across the nation. If you are interested or want more info, please email cmitchell@thegao.org or cherimitchellg@gmail.com
Below is a video about Samuel Mitchell who starred in the two Long Road home videos. Clips from both movies were used to make the below video. The First Long Road Home Video made in 2004 was inducted into the civil rights Hall of Fame in AL. Please watch and get a taste of what Long Road Home is about.
Find more videos like this on EndeavorFreedomTV