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Resident urges Saratoga County to enforce ADA, Olmstead principles and improve housing for people with disabilities
Summary
During public comment, a Saratoga County resident asked supervisors to ensure housing for people with disabilities is community-based and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Olmstead decision, and criticized local restrictions that limit placement of community residences.
Darlene McGrath, a Saratoga County resident who said she lives with autism and receives county housing subsidy, urged the Board of Supervisors on April 15 to ensure housing for people with disabilities is community-based, accessible and meets federal legal requirements.
McGrath said April is autism acceptance month and criticized ‘‘not-in-my-backyard’’ restrictions that she said result in people with disabilities being placed into substandard or institutional settings. She cited the U.S. Supreme Court decision Olmstead v. L.C. (1999), which requires states to provide community-based services in the least restrictive setting where appropriate, and said local rules that bar community residences within a fixed distance of childcare facilities or parks can conflict with federal civil-rights protections and state funding streams.
McGrath told supervisors she receives county housing subsidies and asked local officials to ensure policies comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and related state mental hygiene provisions. She also urged the county to maintain green, clean neighborhoods while making housing available to residents with disabilities.
Her remarks came during the meeting’s public-input period; no formal board action was taken during the meeting in direct response to her comments.
