Speaking out for People with
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
We are proud to announce that VOR's 2018 Annual Meeting and Legislative Initiative were a resounding success. Advocates from across the country convened in Washington, D.C. to share their experience and solutions with one another, and to meet in the offices of their elected officials to initiate positive change for their loved ones with I/DD.
We would like to express our gratitude to those who contributed and sponsored our event this year.
On March 6th, 2018 the House Judiciary Committee convened to examine the harmful effects of class action lawsuits aimed at closing Intermediate Care Facilites for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF's/IID). The hearing came at the request of Chairman Bob Goodlatte.
Testimony was presented by Martha Bryant, Mother, RN, BSN & VOR member, Caroline Lahrmann, Mother, VOR Ohio State Coordinator & past president, and Peter Kinzler, Father, longtime VOR Member, Director & Legislative Committee Chair. Alison Barkoff of the Center for Public Representation. 
spoke on behalf of those in favor of using class action lawsuits against ICF's/IID and opposed to providing notification to families and guardians of individuals residing in these homes.
Click here to read or download testimony of the participants.
For years, VOR has campaigned against Department of Justice (DOJ) efforts to close Intermediate Care Facilities. These efforts on the part of DOJ have resulted in the deaths of the individuals forced out of their ICF homes and into HCBS waiver settings.
VOR's Peter Kinzler has been working with Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) to find ways to curtail these DOJ actions. On December 6, 2017, Representative Goodlatte sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions asking that DOJ "initiate a comprehensive investigation into the causes of the unspeakable number of deaths occuring across the country and suspend activities aimed at displacing fragile Americans from licensed ICFs/IID in good standing."
Click here to read Rep. Goodlatte's letter to the Attorney General
Back copies of the VOR Voice are available here, in full color
Registration and room reservations are open for VOR's 2018 Annual Meeting and Legislative Initiative
VOR's 2016 Annual Conference and Washington Initiative was held at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill again this year. By all accounts the conference and initiative were a great success, both in terms of reaffirming our committment to VOR's mission and in our success at getting out message to legislators and their staff members. Please click on the links below to see some of the materials presented to Congress at the Legislative Initiative, reports submitted for the confernce from state coordinators and attendees, some of the supplementary materials presented at the conference.
Click on the pages below to access downloads from the conference: