Help strengthen services for children with disabilities
Minnesota is updating its Olmstead Plan — the state’s roadmap for making sure people with disabilities can live, learn, work, and take part in their communities. The draft plan is now open for public comment, and community input will directly shape the final version.
DCYF’s role in the plan
As a newer agency, the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is contributing to the Olmstead Plan update for the first time. This is an important opportunity to strengthen the state’s support for children and youth with disabilities.
“The Olmstead Plan is about making sure people can live full lives in their communities,” Commissioner Tikki Brown said. “For DCYF, that starts early by supporting children and families in ways that are inclusive, accessible and informed by real-life experiences.”
Children with disabilities often interact with multiple systems, including early childhood programs and child welfare. Their needs and the way families experience services differ from those of adults, making coordination across programs especially important.
DCYF has identified two goals as part of this work:
- More staff will be prepared to support children with disabilities in early care and education
- Fewer children and teens in foster care who may have a disability will experience institutional placements
Provide feedback through May 8
There’s still time to help shape the updated Olmstead Plan.
The easiest way to share your input is by taking the written survey, available on the Olmstead Implementation Office website through May 8. People with disabilities, family members and professionals are all encouraged to participate.
Throughout April, community members also joined a series of virtual public meetings focused on key topics like transportation, employment, housing, education, transition, health and safety, and crisis services. Feedback gathered during those conversations, along with survey responses, will be used to refine and strengthen the final plan, expected in fall 2026.
Why this input matters
The Olmstead Plan is rooted in the Supreme Court’s Olmstead v. L.C. decision, which affirms the right of people with disabilities to receive services in the most integrated setting possible. This update is a chance to build on that foundation and improve how systems work for people with disabilities across Minnesota.
A key part of this process is the involvement of inclusion consultants, people with lived experience of disability who are embedded within each state agency team. Their perspective helps ensure the plan reflects real experiences, including the need for a sense of community belonging, easier navigation of systems, and access to meaningful, culturally appropriate supports.