Disability Rights Mississippi Reaffirms Commitment to Community Living Following DOJ Opinion on the ADA’s Integration Mandate

Jackson, Miss. — Disability Rights Mississippi (DRMS) is deeply concerned by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel’s June 18, 2026 opinion questioning the legal foundation of the Americans with Disabilities Act’s Integration Mandate. While the opinion does not overturn Olmstead v. L.C., repeal the ADA, or change existing law, it represents a troubling shift away from decades of bipartisan commitment to ensuring people with disabilities can live, work, learn, and thrive in their communities.

For generations, people with disabilities, families, advocates, and allies fought to dismantle systems that isolated individuals in institutions simply because they had a disability. The Supreme Court’s landmark Olmstead decision affirmed that unnecessary segregation is discrimination and that people with disabilities have the right to receive services in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs. That principle remains as important today as it was in 1999.

“Community living is not a privilege; it is a civil right,” said Polly Tribble, Executive Director of Disability Rights Mississippi. “People with disabilities deserve the same opportunities as everyone else to make choices about where they live, pursue education and employment, contribute to their communities, and build meaningful lives. We will continue defending those rights and opposing any effort to return to systems that separate people with disabilities from their communities.”

The Office of Legal Counsel’s opinion does not change the legal protections afforded by the ADA, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, or the Olmstead decision. However, disability groups across the country, including DRMS, are concerned the opinion sends a message about the federal government deprioritizing community integration in the future.

At a time when many people with disabilities, particularly those in Mississippi, already face shortages of home- and community-based services, long waiting lists, workforce challenges, transportation barriers, and limited access to affordable housing, weakening the legal principles that support community living risks moving the country backward rather than forward.

Disability Rights Mississippi believes the solution is not greater reliance on institutional care; rather, it is greater investment in the services and supports that allow people to remain in their homes and communities. Home- and community-based services help people maintain independence, strengthen family connections, participate in the workforce, and contribute to the civic and economic life of their communities. These supports reflect values that transcend politics: dignity, opportunity, personal freedom, and equal access.

Disability Rights Mississippi remains committed to protecting the rights guaranteed by the ADA, defending the promise of Olmstead, strengthening home- and community-based services, and ensuring every Mississippian with a disability has the opportunity to live with dignity, independence, and self-determination.