Disability rights advocates will soon file complaints about the state's inaction with the civil rights office of the federal Department of Health and Human Services, Ms. Gilmour said. In recent years, many states have tried to increase community care, but advocates for the disabled say that spending still favors institutions. Seventy-five percent of that sum was for institutional care, while 25 percent was for community care. Texas is not known as a leader in health and human services, but is ahead of many other states in responding to the Supreme Court decision. It has developed a plan to identify people in institutions who could be served in their communities, and it is setting a timetable for action.
Experts suggest several reasons for the state's progress.
Texas has a strong coalition of disability rights groups. Gov. George W. Bush is running for president. And his father signed the law that the Clinton administration is now enforcing.