1973

Passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 marks the first big achievement of the disability rights movement. The Act, particularly Title V and Section 504, for the first time confronts discrimination against people with disabilities. Section 504 prohibits programs receiving federal funds from discriminating against “otherwise qualified handicapped” individuals. Litigation arising out of Section 504 will generate such central disability rights concepts as “reasonable modification, reasonable accommodation, and undue burden”, forming the framework for subsequent federal law, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

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1975

U.S. Congress passes the Developmental Disabilities Assistance Bill of Rights (DD) Act. The DD Act provided federal funds to programs serving people with developmental disabilities and outlining a series of rights for those who are institutionalized.

 

The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142) is passed. This act established the right of children with disabilities to a public school education in an integrated environment. The act is a cornerstone of federal disability rights legislation. In the next two decades, millions of disabled children will be educated under its provisions, radically changing the lives of people in the disability community.
 

A U.S. Supreme Court decision (O’Connor v. Donaldson) ruled that people cannot be institutionalized against their will in a psychiatric hospital unless they are determined to be a threat to themselves or to others.

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1976

Passage of an amendment to Higher Education Act of 1972 provides services to physically disabled students entering college.

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1977

The Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PADD) program was established in West Virginia. 

 

West Virginia Advocates, Inc. (WVA), a private non-profit agency incorporated in 1977 as West Virginia Advocates for the Developmentally Disabled (WVADD), was designated by then Governor Jay Rockefeller as West Virginia’s arm of the federally mandated protection and advocacy system. The PADD program insured that individuals (adults and children) with developmental disabilities are afforded appropriate services in accordance with their individual needs.

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1978

The Medley Class Action Suit was filed.
 

Title VII of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1978 established the first federal funding for independent living and created the National Council of the Handicapped under the U.S. Department of Education.

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1979

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that, under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, programs receiving federal funds must make “reasonable modifications” to enable the participation of otherwise qualified disabled individuals. This decision is the Court’s first ruling on Section 504, and established reasonable modification as an important principle in disability rights law.

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1980

Congress passed the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act, authorizing the U.S. Justice Department to file civil suits on behalf of residents of institutions whose rights are being violated.

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1981

The Medley Consent Decree was signed, and began changing the conditions in all of West Virginia’s institutions, closing several. The Medley Decree mandated that assessments be made and that individualized services be delivered in the “least restrictive environment”. The Order meant that the WV Departments of Health and Human Resources, the WV Department of Education and the WV Division of Rehabilitation Services had to develop and coordinate specific community-based services for individuals with developmental disabilities who were school-aged and lived in institutions for more than 30 days.
 

The Hartley Class Action Suit was filed.

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1983

The Hartley plan was implemented. The Hartley program helped persons with developmental disabilities get services from behavioral health centers so they can live in their communities. The Hartley Plan ordered even more sweeping reforms of the behavioral health system.

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1984

Governor Jay Rockefeller designated WVA to administer the Client Assistance Program (CAP). The CAP Program was formed to help individuals who have applied for or are getting services from the West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services (WVDRS), a Center for Independent Living, supported employment programs, and other programs funded under the federal Rehabilitation Act.

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Colin Anderson Center’s Ward Building closed.