Through litigation, individual cases and systemic advocacy and negotiation, we work to ensure that the state fulfills its mandate to serve people with developmental disabilities. This includes providing individuals with community based residential placements and other services which are safe, individualized, integrated into the community. We also work to address issues of abuse and neglect of people with developmental disabilities and provide advice and counsel to individuals and their families to enable them to advocate effectively within the OMRDD system.

• L.J. v. Mattingly and Ritter
  Litigation challenging the practices and policies of the City Administration for Children’s Services and the New York State OMRDD that led to the inappropriate institutionalization of foster children with developmental disabilities in settings such as nursing homes and psychiatric hospitals.
• Willowbrook
  NYLPI, along with the NYCLU, serves as class counsel to the class consisting of former residents of the Willowbrook State School. In the early 1970s, the publicity and subsequent litigation brought to light the horrible conditions at this OMRDD facility which housed thousands of children and adults. The case was instrumental in the creation of the modern deinstitutionalization movement and OMRDD’s move towards a system of community based placements.