Samantha Rhoney. A lawsuit Disability Rights NC brought against the state Department of Health and Human Services carries her name. (Photo courtesy Disability Rights NC)
The state Department of Health and Human Services has shown some progress in meeting court-ordered deadlines to make sure community services are available to people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, but an advocacy group questions what the state data can prove.
The court order is the result of a lawsuit called Samantha R., brought by Disability Rights NC against DHHS on behalf of people who were institutionalized or faced institutionalization. The lawsuit claimed the state was not doing enough to support people with disabilities who want to live in their communities; it was named for Samantha Rhoney who spent seven years in a state facility because her parents no longer had the support to keep her at home…