Landmark Class-Action Lawsuit Settled

SPRINGFIELD -- Her supporters, which have grown since 1998 from a small number of family members to a legion of disability rights advocates, were there to support Loretta

Loretta Rolland, center, smiles
as she leaves U. S. Federal Court
with her brother Alfred Rolland
and her sister Claire Harris.

Rolland even if she could not physically applaud herself.

A courtroom filled with advocates, attorneys, state disability rights officials and workers, came to testify at and witness a hearing in U.S. District Court that signaled the dismissal of the Rolland class action suit on Wednesday. The landmark suit against the state was settled as public agencies made substantial progress in moving those with intellectual and developmental disabilities to community settings.