The promise of the ADA must include choice

Every July, we celebrate the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a landmark civil rights law that transformed our nation by affirming that people with disabilities deserve equal opportunity, full participation, independent living and economic self-sufficiency. The ADA remains one of our country's greatest achievements, not because it promised everyone the same path, but because it presented each person with a path lit with the promise of dignity, respect and inclusion.

As we mark the 36th anniversary on Sunday, we find ourselves at an important crossroads. The Department of Justice's recent legal memorandum interpreting the Supreme Court's landmark Olmstead v. L.C. decision has reignited a national conversation about what community integration should look like for people with disabilities.

We wholeheartedly embrace the goals behind Olmstead — community integration, transitional support and institutional diversion. No one should be unnecessarily segregated or denied the opportunity to participate in community life because of a disability. At the nonprofit Brightway Living & Learning, inclusion is not simply a philosophy; it is the foundation of our work.

Our team walks alongside the people we support in schools, workplaces, neighborhoods and residential settings every day. We partner with them to build relationships, develop skills, find competitive employment, pursue education and create lifestyles that matter to them.

Many are surprised to learn how deeply rooted that foundation is, and how far our reach extends on Long Island. For 65 years, Brightway has grown to become a vital, trusted resource here. Today, with over 2,500 employees across more than 60 locations, we provide a full continuum of care for more than 1,600 children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities.

Progress looks different for each person. For some, it means flourishing in a supported individual apartment and living a life they chose. For others with intensive medical, behavioral or emotional needs, it requires structured residential services that provide clinical safety and stability.

Every milestone, big or small, matters. Our role is to use patience and the power of behavioral science to ensure that for every person we support, there is always a way forward. To maintain those pathways, the specialized options that families have spent years finding must not be dismissed because of changing interpretations or policy shifts — such as the DOJ's recent decision to stop enforcing the ADA's integration mandate, leaving community-based funding vulnerable to state budget cuts.

The ADA was intended to expand, not limit, opportunities. Community integration should never mean forcing individuals into settings that are inappropriate for their level of support, nor should it diminish the availability of the high-quality residential programs that thousands of New Yorkers rely upon every day.

People with developmental disabilities deserve the right to choose the life that best meets their goals and abilities. That means investing heavily in community-based employment, education and independent living opportunities. It also means protecting specialized residential services. Civil rights and comprehensive services are not competing values.

As congressional lawmakers, state legislators and civil rights officials continue to shape the future of disability services, we urge them to listen to self-advocates, families and the professionals who do this work every day. Progress must be measured by outcomes and by whether people with developmental disabilities are empowered to live with autonomy, dignity and choice. That is the future Brightway has been building for more than six decades, and will continue to champion.

The ADA's promise was never simply about where people live. It was and always will be about how they live.

This guest essay reflects the views of Kim M. Kubasek, the CEO of Brightway Living & Learning.