As we witness a growing national push toward returning to institutional settings, understanding and leveraging our legal rights has never been more vital. This session focuses on the “integration mandate” as the ultimate tool for systemic change.
We are featuring the Ohio Olmstead Task Force (OOTF), a trailblazing statewide coalition formed in 2002. The OOTF stands as a unique model of advocacy: it is the only independent, disability-led Olmstead task force in the country.
The discussion will explore:
● The Olmstead Mandate: Understanding the Supreme Court’s ruling that unnecessary institutionalization is illegal discrimination.
● Advocacy Leverage: How to use the law to push for the right to live, work, and participate in local communities rather than restrictive settings.
● Systemic Change: Strategies for promoting interdependence and holding state systems accountable for true community inclusion.
Event Details
Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2026
Time: 6 PM ET / 5 PM CT / 4 PM MT / 3 PM PT
Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82375518189
About the Presenters
Jim Ward
Founder and Executive Director, ADA Watch & The Coalition for Disability Rights and Justice (CDRJ) Jim Ward, MSW, is a veteran grassroots organizer, policy analyst, and communications professional who has spent over forty years defending the civil and human rights of people with disabilities. As a leader with a neurodevelopmental disability, Ward combines lived experience with systemic expertise to bridge the gap between traditional disability advocacy and broader social justice movements.
Core Leadership & Impact
ADA Watch: Ward co-founded ADA Watch in 2000 alongside disability rights icon Justin Dart, Jr. The national media and educational campaign unites hundreds of local, state, and national organizations to protect and advance disability rights.
The Road to Freedom Bus Tour: Ward produced and lived on the road for 18 months during this massive cross-country mobile campaign. The tour mobilized community support, registered voters, and was instrumental in the successful passage of the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008—an achievement officially recognized in the Congressional Record.
Policy & Coalition Building: Ward has extensive experience lobbying Congress and federal agencies. He previously served as the Director of Public Policy for the National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems (now NDRN) and as the Director of Disability Rights for the People for the American Way Foundation.
With a Master of Social Work background and a history in electoral politics, Ward continues to focus on building sustainable, peer-led community empowerment models and shifting disability rights into systemic disability justice.
Jennifer Kucera
Jennifer us the Director of A
Jennifer
dvocacy and Outreach at the Center for Disability Empowerment, Columbus, Ohio and the Chair of the Ohio Olmstead Task Force. Born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, she has been an advocate and an activist since she first learned how to speak. For 25 years she taught math at three local colleges. In 2019, Jennifer became a full time system change advocate. She was appointed to the United Healthcare National Advisory Board for People with Disabilities where she served for 5 years. She currently works as the Director of Advocacy and Outreach at the Center for Disability Empowerment, which is a center for independent living in Columbus, Ohio. She is also the chair of the Ohio Olmstead Task Force. Her passion is statewide and national systems change advocacy. She often spends her time at the Ohio Statehouse meeting with legislators and testifying on bills that affect people with disabilities. In 2023 with the help of lawyers, Jennifer was able to change a voting law in her state making it easier for people with disabilities to vote. She advocated for the state to change their voting laws so that caregivers could assist with absentee ballots. She is passionate about the independent living movement, full inclusion, disability rights, disability justice and home and community based services. She lives in her own apartment with her emotional support dog, Sissy, with the help of caregivers.
About Judi’s Room
Named after celebrated human rights activist Judi Chamberlin, Judi’s Room is a free event presented jointly by MindFreedom International (MFI) and I Love You, Lead On. These events facilitate ongoing cross-disability dialogue, featuring expert presentations followed by open public discussion.