Minnesota unveils plan to improve treatment of people with disabilities

A new plan to better accommodate people with disabilities within the community was unveiled Thursday by Lt. Gov. Yvonne Prettner Solon.

It's known as the "Olmstead Plan," after a Supreme Court decision that limited the use of separate facilities such as state-run mental hospitals and nursing homes for people with disabilities and the mentally ill.

"It's ambitious, but we believe it's the right thing to do," Solon, chairwoman of the committee that drafted the plan, told the Star Tribune. "We really and truly have made an effort to walk in the shoes of the person with disabilities, and to provide services that they feel are the best for them."

Pamela Hoopes, legal director of Minnesota Disability Law Center at Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, joins The Daily Circuit to talk about the details of the plan and how it will be implemented.