(Steve Griffin | Tribune file photo) The Disability Law Center is suing the state of Utah over improper enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act and a Supreme Court ruling in Olmstead v. L.C., over its placements of adults with intellectual disabilities in a network of privately run independent care facilities across the state. Here Staci Christensen, one of the plaintiffs in the case, who has intellectual disabilities and has been institutionalized since age 20, talks about what life would mean for her outside of an institution: freedom to select and cook her own meals, go to bed when she wants, take classes and be part of the community. She is standing next to a piece of a art by Lois Curtis, an African-American artist and activist who has an intellectual disability, and was a plaintiff in Olmstead v. L.C. The news conference was held at the Disability Law Center in Salt Lake City, January 15, 2018.
Bethany began covering state government at The Tribune right in time for the 2018 election. She's a proud Maryland Terrapin and worked at newspapers in the D.C. area and in Orlando, Florida, before coming to Utah. Her aspiration is to one day keep an orchid alive for more than a month.