How Lois Curtis paved the way for equal rights for Americans with disabilities

John Yang:

Finally tonight on the final weekend of Disability Pride Month, Ali Rogin tells us about an artist whose lawsuit over the conditions of her confinement and state institutions 25 years ago, ended up with the Supreme Court and established the rights of disabled Americans. It's tonight's installment in our series, Hidden Histories.

Ali Rogin:

Lois Curtis's confinement led to liberation for herself and all Americans with disabilities. Born in 1967, Curtis grew up with cognitive and developmental disabilities. Her family found it hard to care for her, and by the age of 11, she was committed to a hospital subjected to sedation and isolation, but she believed she do better in a group home and started calling the Atlanta Legal Aid Society for Assistance.

They helped her file a lawsuit at age 27 against the state of Georgia and its Commissioner of Human Resources Tommy Olmstead. She claimed that by keeping her institutionalized the state was discriminating against her illegal under the newly passed Americans with Disabilities Act.

The case went all the way to the Supreme Court where the justices ruled six-three in her favor. The landmark Olmstead Decision found that segregation of people with disabilities was a violation of the law. It paved the way for more equitable treatment not just in psychiatric hospitals, but all institutions receiving state and federal funding.

Later in life, Curtis turned to art. She once said, I came along when my art came along, drawing pretty pictures is a way to meet God in the world like it is. Her work appeared in several galleries and even the White House. In 2011, Curtis presented President Barack Obama with a work called girl in orange dress.

Even as Curtis came into her own, she struggled to find a place that felt like home. The community support she fought so hard for it took time to build. Towards the end of her life, she lived in her own apartment with a professional aide and a group of people who would meet regularly to help her achieve her goals.

Curtis passed Lost away in 2022 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 55 years old.

Just as art freed Curtis to fully express herself, her fight for disability rights empowered millions of Americans whose inherent freedoms had once been denied. For PBS News Weekend, I'm Ali Rogin.