Why the intellectually disabled in the Evans case continue to hold the DC government neglectful after 40 years: a history of differing views about disability rights

Abstract

Abstract This article is about Washington, DC’s intellectually disabled and the history of their struggle for habilitation rights, which for them includes gainful employment and having a family. Against them has been a conservative local and national government and the US District Court in its rulings over the past 40 years in the Evans et al. v. Bowser case. The disabled have had only limited success in their expansive interpretation of their rights, but by exploiting differences between the government and court, they have obtained concessions concerning basic food, clothing and shelter. For this reason they advocate for an indefinite continuation of the Evans litigation.