P. O. Box 254577, Sacramento
CA 95865-4577
Telephone: (916) 974-1555
I am David Miller, President of Capitol People First. Capitol People First is a self-advocacy organization, whose members are dedicated to helping themselves and others with developmental disabilities have greater control over their own lives and live as active and fully-included members of the community.
I have experienced life in institutions and in the community. Living in an institution means not having a voice about your likes and dislikes. It means not having choices about what kind of food you eat, when you go to bed, when you get up. It’s about following rigid schedules and having little privacy. Living in one’s own home means having choices; it means not living clumped together with large groups of strangers.
There are many obstacles to living in the community – including the lack of affordable and accessible housing. Regional Centers and the Department of Developmental Services have made it even more difficult for people to live where they choose -- in the community – by not putting enough resources into community services even though it costs more to keep them in institutions.
The lawsuit, Capitol People First v. DDS, is important because it gives people with developmental disabilities an opportunity to be heard. It gives them an opportunity to have a voice and to exercise choice in how they live their lives.