Description

You are invited to a reception in honor of self-advocate and artist Lois Curtis.

Ms. Curtis, a self-taught artist, spent much of her life as a resident in state-operated institutions. Following denial of her repeated requests to live in the community, Ms. Curtis initiated a lawsuit against the State of Georgia and in 1999 her case came before the U.S. Supreme Court. A landmark decision in her favor declared, “Unnecessary institutionalization amounts to segregation and is a violation of individual civil rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act.” Her case thus established a national mandate to free tens of thousands of people with disabilities from institutionalization, known since then as the Olmstead Decision.

**Please RSVP at the link above.**

Reception hosted by:

Tennessee Developmental Disabilities Network

• Disability Law & Advocacy Center of Tennessee
• Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities
• University of Tennessee Boling Center for Developmental Disabilities
• Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center is located at the intersection of 21st Avenue South and Edgehill Avenues, on the Vanderbilt University campus. For map, directions, and parking information, please visit our website, email us, or call (615) 322-8240.