In Oregon, celebrating an end to the ‘horrors’ of institutions
February 2nd, 2010
Just ten years ago, writes Oregon state legislator Sara Gelser, her state closed a notorious institution that had lost its federal funding amid charges of widespread abuse and neglect. Now, she says, Oregon has become the first state in the nation to serve all of its citizens with developmental disabilities in their own communities. An excerpt from Gelser’s op-ed in the Portland Oregonian:
Oregon can be proud to be the first state in the nation to have fully transformed its developmentally disabled system into one that affirms equality and human dignity. In other parts of the country, advocates still raise alarms about the conditions that persist for thousands of children and adults living in their state institutions. Many of those states look to Oregon for advice about how to improve their service systems. We must continue our efforts to improve Oregon’s developmental disability service system, and must never forget the abuses of the past. However, with the 10th anniversary of Fairview’s closure, we should take a moment to celebrate our progress.
Today, Oregonians with developmental disabilities are no longer deemed “inmates” of an institution.
Instead, they are neighbors and friends.
That is progress.
Gelser is the mother of a person with an intellectual disability. Earlier post here.
Our RSS Feed
February 6th, 2010 at 2:14 am
It is true that Alaska does not run any state institutions. However, the state still places some of its residents in out of state institutions.
Oregon is the only state that neither operates institutions, nor places any of its individuals in out of state institutions. This, of course, has only been true since November when we closed the final few beds at our Eastern Oregon Training Center.
That does not diminish the significance of Alaska being an institution free state. That, too, is a great thing to celebrate!
February 2nd, 2010 at 5:29 pm
Alaska is institution-free and has been for over ten years.