Our Right to Remain

Our homes. Our communities. Our right to remain.

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Jocelynn Helmbrecht is a published writer, disability advocate, nonprofit leader, and mother of three boys. Her middle son, Wesley, had significant disabilities and passed away at the age of twenty-four in February 2026. Jocelynn has more than two decades of lived and professional experience navigating disability services and Medicaid HCBS. She is the founder of Our Right to Remain, where she works to make disability policy understandable, amplify the voices of people with disabilities and their families, and advocate for the right to live and receive services in the community.

  • Welcome

    Welcome to Our Right to Remain. This site began with a simple Facebook conversation between two mothers in two different states wanting to do more.

    The disability community in the United States has faced challenges since this nation’s founding. The challenges we face today are unprecedented in number and scope. Between Olmstead, Medicaid cuts, state changes to assessments, and the threat of institutionalization, the rights of those with disabilities are pressed on all sides.

    My sweet son received HCBS waiver services through Medicaid for twenty years until his untimely passing on February 21, 2026. Over those twenty years, I learned to be his voice. Having a child with disabilities will necessarily, force us to find our own voices. Once we do, we are among the fiercest advocates. And our voices don’t stop because theirs did.

    Here you will find information on current events in all different states across America as well as specific steps to take to help advocate for yourself or your loved one. Our hope is it will become a place to seek and offer information, connect, and collectively raise our voices.

    We will be adding to the website several times a week, so please come back for the latest information.

    Thank you for visiting us!

    If comfortable, please leave a comment letting us know what state you are in. As we grow, my hope is to connect families to one another.

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  • The Shapiro Administration (Pennsylvania) issues statement reaffirming its commitment to Pennsylvanians with disabilities.

    In Wake of Recent Federal Action, Shapiro Administration Reaffirms Commitment to Serving and Protecting Pennsylvanians with Disabilities.

    In July, the Trump Administration announced its DOJ would no longer rely on a landmark SCOTUS decision protecting an individual’s right to live and receive services in the community, not an institution.

    In Pennsylvania, Governor Shapiro is standing by individuals with disabilities and ensuring they have a say in where they live, work and receive support.

    Pittsburgh, PA – The Shapiro Administration today reaffirmed its commitment to ensure the choices and freedoms of Pennsylvanians with disabilities are protected so they can live, work, and participate fully in their chosen community in the wake of recent federal actions that threaten decades of progress. 

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  • H.Res. 1469

    “Condemning a legal opinion issued by the U.S. Department of Justice on June 18, 2026, regarding the Olmstead v. L.C., the 1999 Supreme Court decision that recognized institutional isolation of people with disabilities as discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act.”

    H.Res. 1469 was introduced on August 3, 2026, by Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan, with Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon of Pennsylvania as its sole cosponsor.

    Resolutions are not legally binding but can put pressure on the Department of Justice to reconsider its recent narrowing of the interpretation of Olmstead.

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