Who is willing to stand up to defend and assert the human rights of the intellectually disabled? A tragic wrong occurred when Teresa Pocock was forced into an Ontario long-term care home in 2013 against her will. Thankfully, the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, (BCCLA) and seven signatories are standing with Teresa. “We believe and support Ms. Pocock’s statements that she did not want to be put into a nursing home.” In an open letter sent to the Ontario Minister of Health and Long-term Care, the BCCLA is requesting a formal apology to Teresa from the Honourable Eric Hoskins. “We are gravely concerned that the government, through its actions, appears to condone the forced placement and mistreatment of developmentally-disabled adults.” The BCCLA, Canadian Association for Community Living, Inclusion BC, Plan Institute, People First of Canada, Spectrum Society for Community Living, Vickie Cammack, and Al Etmanski have all joined together to send a clear message to the Ontario Government: Teresa Pocock’s forced admission to an Ontario long-term care home violated her human rights. Why is this important now? Despite Teresa’s many remarkable achievements since her release, the Ontario government has refused to admit they made a mistake in declaring her “incapable” and forcing her into a long-term care home. The violation of Teresa’s human rights is critically important because there are many, many “Teresas” all across Canada and in the United States. The National Task Force on Living in the Community stated that over 12,000 Canadian citizens (with developmental disabilities) are living in health related institutions such as senior’s facilities, nursing homes, acute care hospitals, long term care facilities and personal care homes, as opposed to ordinary homes in the community. Please join us in calling for an official apology from the Ontario government by sharing Teresa’s Change.org Petition and the BCCLA letter.