SALT LAKE CITY — A Justice Department report released Tuesday alleges that Utah is segregating young people and adults with disabilities, causing the state to violate federal civil rights law.
Department of Justice finds Utah discriminated against people with disabilities
The investigation, which began in March 2021, alleges that the state is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by not integrating people with disabilities into the community. The findings show that while on paper everything is fine, the reality is not.
“One of my goals is to live independently with my roommate,” said Emily Arthur, who has Down syndrome and works nine hours a week at Concordia Lutheran Elementary and Learning Center.
But her mother, Julie, says she was denied a part-time job by the state and the Department of Justice report is long overdue. “No one seems to take her seriously that she wants a job that pays the same as other people doing the same job,” Julie Arthur told KSL-TV.
Julie said she and her daughter have participated in state-run programs since Emily graduated from Corner Canyon High School, but they’ve always hit dead ends. She said there are hundreds of people like Emily in Utah.
Waiting lists for funding programs like the Department of Disability Services bear that out: There are currently nearly 5,000 names on the department’s waiting list.
“They’re not really providing them with employment opportunities. They want to work in an integrated environment,” said Nate Cripps, public affairs supervising attorney for the Disability Law Center.
He hopes the new report will encourage state leaders who are in a position to make changes to do so. If state leaders don’t fix the problem, he says, the Department of Justice could sue.
“We hope that Utah will work meaningfully with the Department of Justice to find solutions to ensure that individuals with disabilities receive services and employment in an integrated environment,” Cripps said.
The ADA and the U.S. Supreme Court require local governments to provide services for people with disabilities in the most appropriate integrated settings, such as retail, offices, and restaurants, where people of all abilities interact, and to provide equal opportunity and pay.
“The state has not made it a priority,” Julie told KSL-TV, “and the lack of funding shows that the state doesn’t value people with intellectual disabilities.”
We reached out to the state for a response but had not heard back as of press time.
There’s a lot more to the report, much of it related to funding, so if you want to read the full report, click here.