Lois Jeanette Curtis was born July 14, 1967, to the late Melvin Curtis and Mae Traylor Curtis, in Atlanta, Georgia. She was the oldest of three children. She loved school but struggled to learn because of behavior and developmental disabilities. As a child she was in and out of Georgia Regional Hospital’s children and adolescent unit. She soon was a full-time resident in an institutional setting. Life there was miserable and she made it known that she wanted to live in a community. Personal care homes lacked the trained staff to necessarily care and support Lois. Her advocates, fought on her behalf, but state officials failed to provide the support services that she needed, leaving her no choice but to return to Georgia Regional Hospital. The Atlanta Legal Aid Society, along with Attorney Sue Jamieson, helped Lois file a lawsuit against the state, for discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Tommy Olmstead, the Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Human Resources at the time was the defendant. Elaine Wilson joined the lawsuit as Curtis’s co-plaintiff. Their attorneys argued that individuals with disabilities could not be forced to live in institutional settings if they could be cared for in a more integrated community environment. The case was won in the federal district court in 1997, but the state appealed the decision, claiming insufficient funds to care for individuals with disabilities in more integrated environments. The district court’s decision was affirmed by the federal appeals court, but once again the state of Georgia appealed to the United States Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Curtis and Wilson, in 1999. The decision held that unnecessary institutionalization constituted a violation of an individual’s civil rights. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote, institutionalizing people who are able to live in community settings reinforces assumptions that they are “incapable or unworthy of participating in community life.” This called for state and local governments to come up with more services and opportunities for disabled people and to provide the services “in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of qualified individuals with disabilities.” The Olmstead decision’s impact expanded when future cases made it clear that the ruling applied to all institutions receiving funding on the state and federal level, not just psychiatric hospitals like the ones Curtis and Wilson fought to leave. Lois Curtis became an artist by visualizing and capturing strong emotions with bright and bold colors. Her career was highlighted on June 20, 2011, when she presented one of her self-portraits to President Barack Obama in the Oval Office. She also served as a public speaker talking about her life, work, and art. Her other interests included song writing, singing, traveling, spending time with family and friends, and attending church. The Lois Curtis Award is now offered by the Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE), a national organization that works for the full inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace and community. The award is given in honor of her legacy as a strong advocate for people with disabilities.

She is survived by her sisters; Patricia Cook and Bobbie Jean Cloud; aunt, Shirley Traylor; uncles, Ralph Traylor and Marvin Traylor; special niece, nephew and cousin, Palaesha Curtis, Demarques Curtis, and Tyrone Traylor; and a host of other nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives, and friends.

Her services will be held Saturday, November 12, 2022, 12:00 NOON at The Chapel of Donald Trimble Mortuary. Pastor Grady Caldwell, Officiating, Eulogist. Interment, South-View Cemetery, Atlanta, GA.

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