Summary of Lawsuit Series: What Decades of Litigation Reveal About Massachusetts’ Disability System
Part 5: MA IDD Lawsuit Series Today’s crisis in high‑acuity care is not a sudden collapse. It is the predictable result of […]
Category: Disability Policy
These posts discuss disability policy.
Hutchinson v. Patrick: When Massachusetts Failed Adults with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) — And What It Reveals About the System as a Whole
MA IDD Lawsuit Series: Part 4 Hutchinson v. Patrick revealed a simple but devastating truth: when Massachusetts lacks the services people need, […]
Boulet v. Cellucci: When “Community Living” Meant Waiting Without Services
This installment examines how thousands of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities were found eligible for ICF/IID and HCBS services yet remained unserved or severely underserved for years, and how Boulet v. Cellucci clarified the federal entitlements at the heart of that systemic failure.
Ricci v. Okin: The Lawsuit That Forced Massachusetts to Fix Its Institutions
Why This History Matters Today The story you’re about to read is not just about the past. It is about the decisions […]
What the Rolland Lawsuit Reveals About Massachusetts’ Real Commitment to Community Living
MA IDD Lawsuit Series: Part 1 Massachusetts often describes itself as a national leader in community living for people with intellectual and […]
Introduction: Why Massachusetts Keeps Getting Sued Over Disability Services
Introduction to Our Five Part Series: MA Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Federal Lawsuits Massachusetts is often praised as a national leader […]
Families Rarely Hear About ICF/IID Care in Massachusetts
Understand Why For many families navigating the disability service system, the landscape can feel confusing, fragmented, and full of hidden assumptions. Families […]
Massachusetts Home and Community‑Based Services (HCBS) Settings Rule Issues
Massachusetts often points to the Home and Community-Based Services HCBS Settings Rule as justification for closing or downsizing state‑operated Intermediate Care Facilities […]
Communication Is a Human Right, Not a Luxury
Imagine being unable to reliably express hunger, pain, or joy – and then being told you don’t “qualify” for help on learning […]
Government-Funded Monopolies: A Case Study in Disability Services
In theory, public funding should empower choice, equity, and accountability. But when government dollars flow into a closed system—where a single agency […]