In the 1950’s families institutionalized their children if they had any kind of mental deficiency because their doctors told them to and their clergy encouraged it. In 1947 the United States Department of Mental Hygiene opened one such institution; “The Unforgotten” is a documentary recalling the horror that was Willowbrook State School in Staten Island, New York. Willowbrook was supposed to house 2000 residents; in actuality, housed around 5,000.
Throughout the video people recount their experiences when visiting family members at Willowbrook. One woman said that there was shame associated with going to visit Willowbrook because everyone knew when you stepped onto the bus that one of your relatives was disabled. When you walked in, Willowbrook smelt of urine and feces when you walked in and you could hear people moaning. Parents trusted that their children would be taken care of at Willowbrook, but, they could not have been more wrong. Many said that it was as if people gave up their rights as parents when they put their son/daughter there.
While Willowbrook was named a “state school”, less than 20 percent of its residents attended classes. By the end of its days the ratio of residents to workers was 40:1 and 100 percent of its residents had hepatitis. The hygiene budget was cut and it seemed as though the residents were almost never bathed and did not receive haircuts. The residents were abused – treated like dogs in a kennel. They were even given a time limit to eat – even though some of the residents couldn’t feed themselves because they did not know how to. The doctors would not answer questions about bruises or neglect.
Bernard, a former resident of Willowbrook was misdiagnosed as mentally handicapped at age 3 when he actually had cerebral palsy. He stayed at Willowbrook for 18 years but only received 5 years of schooling because they said he was over age. He recalls having his head kicked into a wall and said that living at Willowbrook was, “like living in a concentration camp.”
I do not think that separating out everyone who is “different” in society is acceptable. I agree with the woman at the end of the video who said that if it happened once it can happen again and that we have to do everything in our power to make sure that it does not. Growing up in society today, it is hard for me to imagine a time in which parents institutionalized their children because of mental handicaps; however, history has the potential to repeat itself again.
My cousin Zach and I grew up together. Because he was born the day after I did our parents assumed we would develop and have our “firsts” around the same time. But when Zach was a child he did not like to play or be held. Our parents quickly realized that there was something different about Zach. While I began speaking before I was one year old, Zach did not begin speaking until he was four and when he did speak he was hard to understand. When Zach was 5 he was diagnosed with autism and his doctors were not optimistic about his future; had it been the 1950s he would have been institutionalized. Today, Zach is one of the smartest people I know. What he lacks in social skills he makes up for with his drive to learn and interest in science and other subjects. Last semester, Zach went to community college and got a 4.0 without any outside help.
Just because someone is mentally disabled it does not mean that they are any less valuable to society. Every day people overcome their handicaps.
Unforgotten: 25 Years After Willowbrook. Dir. Jack Fisher. Perf. Geraldo Rivera and Danny Aiello. Castle Hill Productions, 1996. Videocassette.
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