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Willowbrook State School Opened
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State Institutions are Hopeless
I think that at the state institution for the mentally retarded, and I think that particularly at Willowbrook, we have a situation that borders on a snake pit, and that the children live in filth, that many of our fellow citizens are suffering tremendously because lack of attention, lack of imagination, lack of adequate manpower. ~ Robert Kennedy -
WIllowbrook
This photo depicts WIllowbrook residents. These residents all are clothed, which was not generally characteristic at Willowbrook, where there were not enough clothes for all residents and there were not enough staff to help keep the residents clothed. Each person had about two minutes to eat meals which consisted of bland mush. A very small percentage of residents actually were receiving an education. Robert Kennedy called it a snake pit. The truth is, snakes live better. -
Geraldo Rivera Exposes the Truth
With stolen keys, Geraldo broke into Wllowbrook with a camera crew. Geraldo noted that he could show the viewers the horrible conditions and that viewers could hear the haunting noises, but the smell of death was overpowering. Geraldo's expose was the spark that began true changes in the lives of people who have disabilities. -
Willowbrook Consent Decree
New York Governor Hugh L. Carey signed the Consent Decree, which stated that the residents had the right to be safe -
WIllowbrook Finally Closes
The public had had enough and there was a large outcry to close the residential state school. -
The West Seneca Developmental Center Closes
This site housed so many people through the years and while the facility worked to move people into community homes, many lived on campus in poor conditions. These conditions were generally better than those of Willowbrook, but still not a place suitable for people's homes. The closing of this campus ensured that the remaining residents would be placed into homes that were in the community. -
Today
Today, people with developmental disabilities have many options for living. There are many programs that are designed to support people with the goal of keeping them at home. There are groups homes that provide varying degrees of support,supervised apartments, and supported apartments. There are programs that support people with disabilities in purchasing their own homes. No longer are people shut away and hidden from the general population.
