I’ve just passed my 73rd birthday, and as each day goes by, I find myself thinking more and more about why we are removing the programs, services, and protections that the Greatest Generation and their children fought so hard and so long to create.
As a disabled veteran who served in the early 1970s, I had the privilege of meeting many veterans who paid a very personal price for the America we live in today. These men and women made tremendous sacrifices, then came home and demanded something better—not only for themselves, but for all Americans.
Today, I see something very different.
Programs that help people with disabilities become contributing members of their communities are being weakened. People, programs, regulations, and rights are being removed in the name of making America great again. But I have to wonder: How does taking those things away from Americans make America great?
We are being asked to accept the removal of support for people who rely on these services to live independently as necessary cost-cutting, even as the federal deficit continues to grow. Yet decades of experience and research have shown that supporting people with disabilities is not simply an expense. When people have the tools they need to live and work independently, we reduce the long-term costs associated with institutionalization while giving them the opportunity to work, pay taxes, participate in their communities, and contribute to our country.
The idea that people with disabilities should be able to live and participate fully in society is not new.
For more than 25 years, the Supreme Court’s Olmstead v. L.C. decision has stood as an important protection for people with disabilities. The Court held that unjustified segregation of people with disabilities can constitute discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act and affirmed the right, under certain circumstances, to receive services in community settings rather than institutions.
This year, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it would no longer rely on longstanding federal Olmstead guidance in its enforcement of Title II of the ADA while it reconsiders that guidance. The Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision itself remains in place.
At the same time, legislation now before Congress seeks to further protect the right to community living.
The Latonya Reeves Freedom Act of 2026, introduced in both the House and Senate, would require states to develop measurable plans for helping people who choose to leave institutions live in integrated community settings and prohibit discriminatory policies that prevent eligible individuals from receiving community-based services.
At its heart, this is about something much bigger than a program or a budget line. It is about whether Americans with disabilities have meaningful choices about where and how they live their lives.
Now THAT sounds a lot like the American Dream to me.
This November, Americans will once again have the opportunity to decide what kind of country they want us to be. Before you make that decision, I hope you will ask your elected leaders the question I keep coming back to:
Why are we eliminating opportunities for people with disabilities to contribute to the country they call home?
Then listen carefully to their answer.
This article was written by Douglas J. Usiak, retired CEO of WNY Independent Living. It first appeared in print in the Lockport Union Sun & Journal.