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Alliance Alert: The Alliance for Rights and Recovery is proud to remain an active member of the POWER (People Organized for Wellness, Empowerment, and Recovery) Coalition and to stand alongside national partners in defending the Americans with Disabilities Act and the landmark Olmstead v. L.C. decision. At a time when community integration and disability rights are facing unprecedented challenges, it is more important than ever to protect the principle that people with disabilities have the right to live, recover, and thrive in their communities rather than in institutions. We will continue working with POWER and advocates across the country to oppose efforts that weaken the integration mandate, expand institutionalization, or replace voluntary, recovery-oriented supports with coercive approaches.

These critical issues will be a major focus of the Alliance Annual Conference, where attendees will hear from national leaders during multiple workshops and plenary sessions on disability rights, Olmstead, federal policy changes, and the future of community integration. Join us to learn about the latest developments, discuss strategies to protect the rights of people with disabilities, and help shape the next chapter of advocacy for recovery, rights, and full community inclusion.

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MH Advocates Launch National Campaign, Defend ADA Protections
 | Mental Health Weekly | July 31, 2026

In a move to reaffirm the rights guaranteed under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Olmstead v. L.C. decision, the Alliance for Rights and Recovery and its partners in the POWER (People Organized for Wellness, Empowerment and Recovery) Coalition have launched a national advocacy campaign.

Marking the 36th anniversary of the ADA, the POWER Coalition unveiled “We Refuse to Go Backwards,” a national campaign aimed at defending the right of people with mental health and substance use conditions to live and receive services in their communities. Through the initiative, advocates pledged to work alongside national organizations and advocacy groups to oppose efforts that they say weaken the ADA’s integration mandate, expand institutionalization and increase the use of coercive treatment.

The POWER Coalition, a national coalition of recovery leaders, disability and civil rights advocates, peer leaders and families navigating multiple systems of care, launched earlier this year (see “New national coalition mobilizes to defend rights, services in MH, recovery,” MHW, Feb. 2; ).

In commemoration of the ADA’s anniversary, the coalition released a series of video statements reaffirming its commitment to protecting disability rights and promoting recovery, a news release announcing the campaign stated.

Coalition leaders say the campaign comes at a time of intensifying debates over involuntary treatment, institutional care and federal disability policy. While advocates credit the ADA and the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision with advancing community integration for people with disabilities, they contend that recent policy proposals have raised concerns about whether those gains can be sustained.

Paolo del Vecchio, founder of Rising Recovery, a recovery advocacy and consulting organization, and co-chair of the POWER Coalition, said the coalition has focused on several key issues since its launch, including efforts to oppose the potential elimination of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and concerns over a U.S. Department of Justice memorandum that critics say weakens enforcement of the ADA (see “DOJ memo sparks alarm over disability rights and community integration,” MHW, June 29, 2026; ).

“These are direct assaults on our rights to freedom and independence,” del Vecchio told MHW. He added that equity remains a major concern, arguing that the administration’s efforts to curtail diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives could worsen existing disparities. “A disproportionate number of people, particularly people of color, are involuntarily committed, and the DEI situation only makes it worse,” he said.

“We do not want to go backwards to the back wards of psychiatric hospitals,” said del Vecchio. He pointed to data from the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors Research Institute indicating that, in 2025, more states were increasing psychiatric hospital capacity by reopening beds in existing facilities or building new hospitals for the first time since the 1950s, a trend driven in part by sharp increases in forensic commitments.

“We refuse to be silent,” Harvey Rosenthal, CEO of the Alliance for Rights and Recovery and co-chair of the POWER Coalition’s communications committee, told MHW. “The administration’s policies are based on stigma, discrimination, isolation and segregating our community. We now know that recovery is the expectation; everybody can be helped.”

Supported Housing
“One of the things we know works is supportive housing,” said del Vecchio. He pointed to the Housing First model, which helps people with mental health and substance use conditions, as well as other disabilities, remain in the community and reduce involvement with the criminal justice system. “Housing is often the foundation of recovery,” he said.

Del Vecchio also criticized the administration’s stance on harm reduction, evidence-based practices and Housing First policies, arguing that it has moved away from approaches shown to improve outcomes for people with behavioral health conditions.

Del Vecchio’s criticism reflects concerns among advocates about a 2025 executive order that seeks to end federal support for Housing First policies, expand the use of civil commitment and restrict funding for some harm reduction initiatives.

Defending the ADA
Asked what investments or policy changes are most needed to fulfill the ADA’s promise for people with mental health conditions, Arc Telos Saint Amour, executive director of Youth MOVE National and a member of the POWER Coalition, said the immediate priority is not expanding the law but preserving it.

“I wish we had the luxury to focus on investments and policy changes that would strengthen the Americans with Disabilities Act and make it more holistic and effective,” Saint Amour told MHW. “I don’t believe the ADA is perfect or even working as fully intended. But our current reality doesn’t allow for that kind of future thinking.”

Instead, Saint Amour argued that advocates are being forced into a defensive position amid what they view as efforts to weaken disability rights protections. “The ADA is actively being dismantled, and we are quickly moving back to a time when individuals with disabilities are viewed as inherently violent, criminal, ‘incurably sick,’ and not worthy of self-agency, bodily autonomy and living within their own communities,” they said. “Make no mistake, if the ADA is dismantled, people will die.”

Embracing Recovery
“We need a strong SAMHSA and policies that move the country forward with a recovery-oriented approach,” del Vecchio said. “Our coalition has a vision for a nation that embraces recovery.”

As evidence of recovery’s reach and impact, del Vecchio pointed to SAMHSA’s recently released National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), which found that an estimated 63 million adults identified as being in recovery from a mental health condition, a substance use issue or both (see story, p. 1). He added that the findings underscore the need for policies that support recovery and community-based services rather than institutional approaches.

del Vecchio said more than 2,000 people signed a POWER Coalition statement urging Congress to preserve SAMHSA and continue investing in recovery, peer support and community-based services rather than coercive approaches.

“Our hope is for policymakers, particularly members of Congress, to listen to us,” del Vecchio said, pointing to what he described as early successes, including congressional pushback against several provisions in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ FY 2027 budget proposal, among them the proposed elimination of SAMHSA. “We want the Olmstead decision to remain the law of the land. We won’t go back. Community living is our right.”