Last Friday, the world lost one of the most iconic, inspirational, and motivational women we have ever known— Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A feverish defender of civil rights and a true visionary for gender equality, the late justice Ginsburg was a woman who was ahead of her time. Cementing herself in the history of this country as the voice of “dissent” in our Supreme Court, she was the voice for the voiceless. She championed the rights of women to make their own reproductive rights choices; the rights of gay men and women to marry, and the for the disabled to live in their own communities. A fearless advocate for voting rights, equal pay for women, and the rule of law, her impact on the American legal system cannot be overstated.

Special Needs Network is eternally grateful for justice Ginsburg’s historic decision in Olmstead v. LC, one of the most important civil rights decisions for people with disabilities in our country’s history. This 1999 United States Supreme Court decision, based on the Americans with Disabilities Act, held that people with disabilities have a qualified right to receive state-funded supports and services in the community rather than institutions. As a result of this decision, and Justice Ginsburg’s vision and courage, millions of individuals with disabilities now live comfortably in their own communities.

Thank you RBG!

May you rest in power.

Areva Martin