Feds sue over treatment of disabled in Arkansas

Chuck Bartels of the The Associated Press has reported that the federal government accused Arkansas in a lawsuit last Thursday of leaving people with severe mental or physical disabilities with no choice but to go into state institutions.

The Justice Department lawsuit accused Arkansas of a "systemic failure" that places people in institutions when the state should pursue less restrictive avenues for their care.

"The state gives individuals with developmental disabilities the draconian choice of receiving services in segregated institutions or receiving no services at all," the lawsuit states.

The federal government accused the state of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, which guarantees people with developmental disabilities the right to live in the most appropriate setting for their needs.

The state has six centers for the developmentally disabled that, in all, care for about 1,100 people.

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Image Caption - A scene from Willowbrook: The Last Great Disgrace (1972)