Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc. Olmstead Case Files, 1995-2014

Summary

Creator:

Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc.

Date:

1995-2014

Extent:

20 Linear Feet 20 boxes and 30.5 gigabyte(s)

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc. Olmstead Case Files. Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection documents the Supreme Court Case Olmstead v. L.C. It contains case files, correspondence, reports, and various trainings and implementation plans for the Olmstead decision. It also contains information on the Money Follows the Person program and other Medicaid services. Some of the significant topics represented in these files are community integration, mental health and disabilities, Medicaid eligibility and services, and housing.

Biographical / historical:

Atlanta Legal Aid Society has provided low-income people with free civil legal aid in Atlanta since 1924. Their focus is on working with special populations, such as veterans, caregivers, seniors, and those with disabilities.

Olmstead v. L.C. was a landmark 1999 disability rights case before the United States Supreme Court. The case was filed on behalf of Lois Curtis and Elaine Wilson, two women with mental disabilities who had been confined to state institutions in Georgia. Sue Jamison, lead attorney on the case, argued that under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Curtis and Wilson had the right to live in the community while receiving services instead of segregated within the state's hospital system.

The Supreme Court held that the ADA did protect Curtis and Wilson's right to live within the community and ordered the state to provide services to people with disabilities in the most integrated setting that was appropriate. The Court also held that if a person wanteds to live in a community and can benefit from services in an integrated setting, it is discriminatory to confine them to an institution.

Arrangement:

The arrangment of the files follows the original owner's organization.

Related

Other descriptive data:

The inventory of this collection uses terms that could be considered ablelist or otherwise offensive. These descriptors reflect historical usage of the term or the intent of the records' creators, not intervention on the part of the archivists or the Russell Library. This language has been retained in order to illustrate the historical context in which the records were created.

Indexed terms

Subjects:

People with disabilities -- Legal status, laws, etc.
Mental health policy -- United States.
Supreme Court decisions -- United States

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research use with the following conditions and exceptions.

Prior to accessing these materials, all researchers must agree to abide by the Atlanta Legal Aid Socity, Inc., Olmstead Case Files Access agreement.

Some records in this collection fall under one of two categories of restriction: 1.) Attorney-client privilege, covering any informaiton exchanged between an attorney and client, including correspondence between the client and the attorney's staff or by the attorney on behalf of the client.

2.) Records that would violate the privacy of an individual, including records under seal by a court; records that reveal the identify of clients that were represented anonymously or which are not otherwise public; records containing medical information or social security numbers; the terms of confidential settlement agreements; and any other information gained in professional relationship with the client.

Boxes containing restricted information are marked RESTRICTED on the box label and finding aid (noted by an R before the box number). The open files in such boxes can be provided to researchers, provided that Russell Library staff have first reviewed the records and temporarily removed any restricted files.

This collection contains digital files. To access these files, please request the folders you would like through the finding aid using your research account. An archivist will be in contact with you to explain how to access the files. Please note that not all file formats are currently supported by the library for research use.

This collection contains audiovisual materials. Reference copies of the audiovisual recordings are available upon request. Research requests will be filled as soon as possible and will be dependent upon the condition of the recordings.

Terms of access:

Before material from collections at the Richard B. Russell Library may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permissions. Persons wishing to quote from materials in the Russell Library collection should consult the Director. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original.

Preferred citation:

Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc. Olmstead Case Files. Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641.