Sally Johnston, Syracuse activist who fought for wheelchair lifts on buses, dies at age 80

May 19, 2023

Johnston with support from former Onondaga County Executive Nick Pirro launched an experimental Medicaid program in Onondaga County in 1992 that allowed chronically ill or physically disabled people to hire caregivers to help them at home so they could avoid nursing homes. The program, known as the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance, CDPA for short, was established statewide in 1997. Johnston was inducted into the New York State Disability Rights Hall of Fame in 2022. Read the full article.