End warehousing of developmentally disabled

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02 Feb 2009, 7:43 pm

January 30, 2009 - End warehousing of developmentally disabled - By Robert Stack
There are more than 45,000 people living in large, congregate institutions
that are not wholly conducive to allow those they house to live
independently and productively.

There are an estimated 500,000 persons with developmental disabilities on
Greenwald on Bill to Overhaul Care for Developmentally Disabled | Politicker NJ
http://www.politickernj.com/jsverapa/26 ... y-disabled

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richie
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03 Feb 2009, 7:15 pm

It took nearly 15 years to shut down Willowbrook.
More about Willowbrook can be found at these sites:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.h ... A9669C8B63
http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/archive ... rookRG.htm

Quote:

Willowbrook State School was built in the 1930’s in Staten Island, NY to care for individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. It did not receive its first residents, however, until after World War II. A combination of rising placements, budget cuts, ignorance, arrogance and indifference, created notorious conditions at Willowbrook. By 1965, with over 6,000 residents in an institution planned for just 4,000, Senator Robert Kennedy was calling Willowbrook a “snake pit.” In November 1971, The State Island Advance published a series of articles detailing the horrible conditions at the school. Following these articles, in January 1972, Geraldo Rivera, the television reporter, began a series of programs that shook the conscience of New York State and the nation and inspired parents and others to take legal action. The end result was the signing of a consent judgement in federal court in 1975. Willowbrook finally closed its doors in 1987.....

The history of this place is of special interest to me because when I was a child
people thought I was ret*d and wanted to have me sent there.

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asplanet
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03 Feb 2009, 8:15 pm

richie wrote:

The history of this place is of special interest to me because when I was a child
people thought I was ret*d and wanted to have me sent there.

Unfortunately many aspies / auties were, so we have come a long way, but still have a lot further to go I feel. Educating children from a younger age about diversity and difference is vital, but they need good role models!

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KingdomOfRats
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04 Feb 2009, 5:29 pm

they should be shut down,as too many of them dont help residents to help themselves to their ability,but those who run them need to make sure it isnt a rush job and that new places for the residents are suitable,not just done in the name of inclusion.

they have shut almost all the LD/DD institutions down in the UK,and moved everyone into community residential homes or supported living.
the problem with the UKs institutional care is that they havent done it over a long enough time,rushing residents out,and they didnt look into the issues that affect many auties [and others] like am who are incompatible with community residential homes,the seclusion and closed world of institutions is actually what some need,but this has never been looked into.

often,neighbours are getting community residentials blocked here because they dont like the idea of a home full of disabled people with complex needs and challenging behavior being near them,but it's ok to them if it's in another area.

so while the institutions of england are nothing in size, when compared to americas,there should be something similar, because by closing them [in any country] is making living and quality of life lower for some-not higher.

sorry not completely ontopic.

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