2013 Press Releases

December 12, 2013 – Response to Rep. Tim Murphy’s Bill
Today, Congressman Tim Murphy introduced legislation that, if passed, would reverse some of the advances of the last 30 years in mental health services and supports. The Bazelon Center and other organizations provide analysis of the potential consequences. Read the Press Release (PDF)

July 31, 2013 – Disability Community Unveils Key Principles of Community Integration 
At two congressional briefings celebrating the 23rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on Monday, the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law unveiled a set of consensus principles reflecting the disability community’s shared vision of community integration. Read the Press Release (PDF)

July 23, 2013 – Landmark Settlement for New York City Adult Home Residents
Lawyers for adult home residents, together with the U.S. Department of Justice, reached a landmark settlement with New York State. The settlement ensures that thousands of residents of 23 large “adult homes”—board and care homes serving primarily people with mental illnesses—will have the opportunity to live in their own homes with the services they need to succeed and be participants in their communities. Read the Press Release (PDF)

July 11, 2013 – EEOC to Advance Federal Employment of People with Disabilities
The Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law applauds the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for advancing federal employment of people with disabilities by committing to provide a more detailed framework for federal agencies to “give full consideration to the hiring, placement and advancement of qualified individuals with disabilities.” Read the Press Release (PDF)

June 20, 2013 – Bar Examiners Screening for Mental Illness Violates the ADA
In response to a recent proposal, mental health experts, mental health organizations, lawyers with mental health conditions, and disability rights practitioners call on the nation’s boards of bar examiners to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when assessing applicants for admission to the bar. Read the Press Release (PDF)

June 5, 2013 – New HUD Olmstead Guidance Step in Right Direction
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has issued new guidance on how the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the Olmstead case applies to HUD’s programs and activities. The guidance makes clear that HUD and entities that receive financial assistance from HUD must provide housing for people with disabilities in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs. Integrated settings, according to the guidance, are “those that provide individuals with disabilities opportunities to live, work, and receive services in the greater community, like individuals without disabilities.” Read the Press Release (PDF)

April 17, 2013 – Wrong Focus: Mental Health in the Gun Safety Debate
The Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law today released Wrong Focus: Mental Health in the Gun Safety Debate, an update of a paper originally issued on April 16, 2013. Highlighting key research, the paper explains why the gun safety debate should not focus on mental health or people with psychiatric disabilities. Read the Press Release (PDF)

March 28, 2013 – Bazelon Center Backs Evidence-Based Alternatives to Increased Law Enforcement in Our Nation’s Schools
“The presence of armed law enforcement officers in schools has not been shown to reduce school violence, but has been shown to result in the disparate discipline and criminal justice system involvement of children with disabilities, particularly those with mental disabilities,” stated Lewis Bossing, senior staff attorney with the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. Read the Press Release (PDF)

March 13, 2013 – Bazelon Center Lauds the Work of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Decision
The Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law fully supports the work of Tom Perez as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. Read the Press Release (PDF)

January 16, 2013 – New Bazelon Center Analysis on the Relationship Between Psychiatric Hospital Bed Availability and Firearm Homicides
In the wake of recent tragedies involving the use of firearms and resulting calls for more inpatient psychiatric treatment, the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law has conducted an analysis examining the relationship between homicides with firearms and inpatient psychiatric bed availability. Read the Press Release (PDF)