Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers joined a group of 18 governors who called on the federal government to return to its “fundamental national commitment that disability should not be a basis for exclusion or diminished opportunity.”

The Governor’s letter to the U.S. Justice Department is in response to a U.S. DOJ opinion released in June that argues core civil rights laws—the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, and the 1999 Supreme Court Olmstead decision—do not require states to integrate people with disabilities into the community. The opinion is contrary to decades of interpretation and long-standing legal precedent. It undermines the core civil rights laws that protect people with disabilities from being forced into institutions.

“As Governors, we are deeply concerned by the federal government’s retreat from its longstanding role in protecting the right to community integration and that such actions signal changes to programs serving individuals with disabilities,” the governors said in the letter released Friday.

Wisconsin disability organizations have responded to the opinion and the subsequent revocation of ADA guidance.

The Governors’ letter states: “We strongly oppose any federal actions that would weaken protections against unnecessary segregation or diminish the right of people with disabilities to receive services in the most integrated settings appropriate to meet their needs… Community integration is not an abstract legal concept. It means having a home, being able to work, attend school, shop, worship, build relationships, and participate in an ordinary civic life.”

“People with disabilities want to learn. We want to work. We want the same things everyone does, the chance to follow our dreams and live the life we want.” said Sydney Badeau, Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities Board Chair. “We know what happened when people with disabilities were locked away. Abuse. Neglect. A life limited by what someone else decided was your potential, not what you want.”

All states have spent decades investing in home care as a strategy to avoid costly Medicaid-funded nursing home and institutional placements because people with disabilities, older adults, and families want to be able to age in place and contribute to their communities.

Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson initiated what became Family Care and IRIS to prevent expensive and unnecessary nursing home placements, starting with a few counties. Former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker extended the programs to all counties and made sure people who qualified for care did not have to wait to get it.

Today, the home care infrastructure Wisconsin has spent decades building supports for 30,000 children with disabilities and 90,000 older adults and adults with disabilities through its Medicaid home care waiver programs, as well as many other older adults and families who need care to stay in their homes.

For nearly 50 years, federal law has required that states provide services to people with disabilities in the most integrated setting appropriate. Wisconsin’s investments in home care, special education, and community integrated employment have meant that people with disabilities have been supported to reach their full potential and live full lives and contribute to their communities.

“Recent federal actions have created significant uncertainty for people with disabilities throughout the country. After decades of advocacy, people with disabilities and their families are terrified of being locked away against their will,” said Jenny Price, executive director for the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities. “Wisconsin cannot afford to reverse the progress we have made toward ensuring Americans with disabilities have meaningful choices about where and how they live. Governor Evers and other states’ Governors recognize what is at stake for people with disabilities and their families.”