November 2024

A Nurse’s Guide to the ADA: Understanding Responsibilities in Caring for Patients with Disabilities

Discrimination and unequal treatment in healthcare settings make it harder for people with disabilities to access good healthcare, which worsens their health outcomes. Most healthcare providers and allied health professionals do not receive training to care for people with disabilities during their healthcare education.

These challenges were focal points discussed on a recent episode of ADALive!, a podcast produced by the Southeast ADA Center. The discussion featured Erin Vinoski Thomas, Director of the Center for Leadership in Disability and Research, Associate Professor at Georgia State University's School of Public Health; Patricia Lawrence, Director of Project Healthy Grandparents and Clinical Assistant Professor at the Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions at Georgia State University; and Sydnie Smith, Disability & Health Project Manager at the Center for Leadership in Disability.

An interdisciplinary effort developed by Vinoski Thomas, Lawrence, and Smith aims to train nursing students to provide equitable and inclusive healthcare services for people with disabilities. Read More.

Photos from top to bottom: Erin Vinoski Thomas, Patricia Lawerence, and Sydnie Smith

CLD's New Assistant Directors

We are pleased to announce the appointments of Molly Tucker, MSW, and Raynell Washington, LMSW, as CLD’s two new Assistant Directors. Molly and Ray have demonstrated highly impactful leadership during their time at CLD, particularly over the past year of personnel transitions. Please join us in congratulating Molly and Ray on their new leadership positions as we continue to grow and succeed together!

Molly has taken on the role of Principal Investigator for numerous federal grants, state department contracts, and other funded programs within CLD over the past year. She now manages nearly all of CLD's early childhood education and early intervention work and her existing Community Training and Advocacy projects portfolio. Recently, SPH and GSU recognized Molly as one of the university’s top external funding earners for FY24. During this transition, Molly has also successfully served as a bridge between CLD and major state agency partners, including the Georgia Department of Public Health and the Georgia Department of Education.

Raynell began independently leading the Georgia Association of Infant Mental Health (GA-AIMH) initiative in August 2023 and is now the Principal Investigator for all GA-AIMH contracts. She serves as CLD’s primary point of contact with the Georgia Department of Care and Early Learning and the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. Ray’s leadership has been instrumental in strengthening CLD’s efforts to secure philanthropic funding, which will support the center’s long-term growth.

Strengthening our core leadership team has been a priority for CLD. Promoting outstanding leaders like Ray and Molly represents the best path forward, and we look forward to advancing CLD’s mission together as a strengthened team.

25th Anniversary of the Olmstead Decision

On October 2, Georgia State University College of Law hosted an event commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Olmstead v. Lois Curtis and Elaine Wilson decision. The attendees included the Georgia Advocacy Office staff, professors and students from the College of Law, staff from the Center for Leadership in Disability, and advocates. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Mathis from the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division was the guest speaker.

Mathis reviews the work of the Disability Rights Section and the Special Litigation Section's Disability Board. She was key in coordinating strategy and briefing when the Supreme Court heard the Olmsted case, in which the Court declared unjustified institutional isolation of people with disabilities unlawful discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act. In 1999, she worked with Atlanta Legal Aid and litigated numerous community integration cases before and after the Olmsted case.

The Olmstead case was initiated by Lois Curtis and Elaine Wilson from Georgia, who both had mental health conditions and intellectual disabilities. Lois and Elaine asked for help to get treatment so that they would not have to go live at the state mental hospital. The doctors who treated the two women agreed they could live in the community with support. The community-based supports were not ready for years. The Olmstead decision ended up going to the U.S. Supreme Court. 

The Court found that under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), it’s against the law for the state to discriminate against a person based on their disability. The state discriminated against Lois and Elaine by making it mandatory for them to live in a mental health hospital. Instead, the government should have provided them with community-based support. The state was segregating them by requiring them to live with others with disabilities in the hospital. People with disabilities have the right to receive the treatment they need without being confined if their doctors agree and if it does not change how the state provides services to people with disabilities.

Mathis discussed how integration has been a critical issue for disabled people. Over the years, the principles of Olmstead have been seen in parts of state systems across the country.

Those principles are reflected in many federal efforts, including expanding funding for home and community-based services to ensure that people with disabilities can receive services and housing. To succeed, there needs to be increased supportive housing that enables people with significant disabilities to live in their homes or apartments with a housing subsidy and services.

"We have come to understand the importance of strategies like housing first, which keeps people who may need the most help successfully housed, rather than taking away their housing because their disability makes it hard for them to meet all the rules of a program," Mathis said.

Since the Olmstead decision, the number of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the state psychiatric hospitals has decreased by 80%. Thousands of people with mental health disabilities have received supported housing, and thousands of people with developmental disabilities have received Medicaid waivers to transition out of or avoid institutionalization.

The Civil Rights Division continues to find under-resourced community service systems, contributing to segregation and institutionalization that eat up resources that could be spent instead in the community. Workforce shortages are also viewed as a reason to do little or nothing to ensure that community service systems can meet people’s needs.

“Ten years from now, I hope you will be holding another event like this, but I am confident that there will be different issues, different and higher expectations, and different leaders who are carrying the torch and maximizing inclusion, integration, and autonomy for disabled people,” Mathis said.

In Good Company Hosts Inclusive Recruitment Event

Written by Madison Cathey, Marketing Masters Student

On Friday, October 11, 2024, In Good Company (IGC) and HEI Hotels and Resorts joined forces to host a unique recruitment event in honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The event at The Whitley, a luxury collection hotel in Atlanta Buckhead, was a testament to the strong partnership between the two entities. It aimed to provide students and alums from Georgia's Inclusive Postsecondary Education (IPSE) programs with an immersive experience within the hospitality industry.

In Good Company (IGC) helps businesses meet staffing needs by connecting them with well-prepared, long-term job seekers. IGC also assists employers in effectively integrating candidates with disabilities by providing the support necessary to foster a thriving, inclusive workplace where employees of all abilities can excel.

The IGC Network Career Day presented a unique opportunity for attendees to gain insights from a panel of seasoned hospitality professionals, offering a glimpse into various career paths. The exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of The Whitley, a five-star hotel, provided a deeper understanding of hotel operations. The chance to network directly with hiring managers from HEI's portfolio of properties was a valuable experience. Six esteemed hotel employers from the Atlanta area, including The Hotel Avalon, Hilton Atlanta Airport, Crowne Plaza Midtown, Embassy Suites Atlantic Station, The Whitley, and the Kimpton Shane Hotel, were present to share their invaluable insights with our attendees.

Read More.

Georgia Race For Autism

Spina Bifida Walk

Down Syndrome Association

RISE and LEAD Student Leadership Conference

SHOWability & IDEAL: Accessibility Below The Line

Georgia Child Health Conference

July 12-15, 2025

Stone Mountain Park

The Georgia Child Health Conference, formerly the Babies Can't Wait Conference, has expanded to include all child health programs within the Georgia Department of Public Health. The conference will unite individuals committed to providing high-quality services and resources for children with special healthcare needs and disabilities. Through breakout sessions, panels, and workshops, we will explore topics about early intervention, service provision and coordination, advocacy, and childhood mental health.

11th Annual Autism Conference & Expo

May 28, 2025



The theme of this year’s Autism Conference is "Cultural Perspectives: Leading to Impactful Practices." This theme emphasizes cultural factors' vital role in shaping the systems and professionals that comprise autism services in Georgia. For this conference, "culture" is explored broadly, encompassing various dimensions such as identity, language, and professional backgrounds across the service sector. We welcome participation from caregivers, individuals with autism, educators, interventionists, clinicians, researchers, and administrators.