Willowbrook: A Reflection
Decades ago, society rejected those who were mentally or physically disabled. If a child did not reflect what was considered ‘normal’, parents were strongly encouraged to institutionalize them in a state ‘school’. Physicians depended on the warehousing of the disabled and assured their families that the patient would benefit in an institutional setting. Back in those days, there was not an option for group homes or other type of care homes for those with disabilities. In the 1950’s if you had a child with a mental disability, Down’s Syndrome, or another type of disability; your child would be taken to a facility like Staten Island’s Willowbrook State School. These facilities promised training and medical treatment for these children. In reality, these children were subjected to such atrocities that would not be tolerated by today’s standards.
In 1965, Bobby Kennedy visited the facility and condemned the treatment of the patients and the overcrowding. When a physician decided to quit due to the conditions and lack of staff due to budget cuts, he contacted a local reporter Geraldo Rivera. The doctor gave Rivera a stolen key to Willowbrook. What Rivera uncovered was more like a concentration camp. Many of the children were naked and covered in filth and feces. The facility had a rancid smell of feces, urine and death. Willowbrook was understaffed to the point where one attendant was responsible for 30 – 40 patients. This led to a great deal of neglect and abuse.
The movie, Unforgotten: 25 Years After Willowbrook, focuses on the lives of the families of four patients and a man who was misdiagnosed as a child. These people are forever affected by their time in the notorious facility as they reflect on their stories where they struggled with the helplessness of the situation. For those who were unaware, Willowbrook looked like the answer. Decades later, it is obvious that these children could not be protected from a Three decades later, it’s clear that no amount of shame could shelter these unfortunates from a system of government incapable of showing compassion to them.
The focus of the movie centers around previous residents of Willowbrook: Patty, Luis, and Bernard and their families. Bernard shouldn’t have even been at the facility but he was misdiagnosed as being mentally retarded when in reality it was discovered he had cerebral palsy. He spent 18 years at Willowbrook and endured an enormous amount of abuse and neglect. During Rivera’s visit to Willowbrook, he interviewed Bernard and just from the interview you can tell that there is nothing wrong with his intellect that schooling wouldn’t have resolved. In the interview with Bernard 25 years later, he is now a successful consultant but had dreams of becoming a civil rights lawyer. If Willowbrook had been managed the way it was intended, he would have been nurtured and he would have been able to reach his potential within the 18 years that he was there. Instead, Bernard said the time he spent there was “Hell”, and his dreams were taken from him.
Throughout the documentary, we learn of the severe disability and restrictions that have plagued Luis throughout his life. He received little physical therapy, which could have possibly helped him develop some mobility and strength during his later years. Luis’ family spends a great deal of time caring for him. Although they seem to trust Luis’ new care home, the scars from the care he received at Willowbrook run too deep to not be cautious. Patty’s family situation is very similar and her sisters obviously are close to her now after being separated from her for years. One of her sisters talked about the stigma of having a child with a disability back then. In their family, they were never told why Patty was sent away and didn’t talk of it as a family. This led one of her sisters as a little girl to wonder if she did something bad that she could get sent away. What a horrible fear for a child to possess!
As the narrator clarifies, there were many reasons Willowbrook ended up as a national tragedy. Budget cuts along with the increasing costs to care for such patients were one of the major reasons. Another reason was the ability to maintain qualified staff due to the high demands of the job. Eventually, these reasons caused the attendant to patient ratio to become 40 to 1 when originally it was set at 4 to 1. That powers that be were ignorant to think that they could raise children in such a clinical environment, when in reality what these children would have benefited from above all else was love and acceptance.
The integration that exists today for these children not only benefits them, but everyone. These children have the ability to bring such joy and kindness to others, that they actually are a wonderful example for us to live up to.