ALBANY, N.Y. AP – New York state violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by housing more than 4,300 mentally ill people in large nursing homes rather than integrating them into the community, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
In a decision likely to affect similar cases in other states, U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis of Brooklyn said that under federal law, the state must provide services to the disabled “in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs,” enabling them to interact with people who aren’t disabled as much as possible.
