This video was created by the state of Oregon to communicate the need for special care for citizens with special needs. The intent of the video is to show that humane care was being provided at Fairview, but also to remind the public of the need to support such institutions financially.
Many will find the video disturbing.
In Our Care from Oregonian News on Vimeo.
I am posting it because as I wrote my post about Bud Fredericks, it occurred to me that many younger people would have little idea of what it meant for a special needs child or adult to be cared for in an institution.
Fairview is closed now. Generally, if care for special needs children and adults cannot be provided by their families, a system of group or foster homes is relied upon to provide care.
When feasible, special needs children attend public schools, receiving extra attention as required. This is referred to as mainstreaming.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
An amazing propaganda film! The pleasant music, and white clad helpers almost make you think Fairview was habitable. I visited the institution shortly after my brother Tim was born with Down Syndrome and was grateful my parents had chosen to keep him home. The film doesn't show the patients that I saw chained to their beds, or hosed down in groups for their "showers." The film does admit to "some overcrowding" which is an understatement. It doesn't talk about the sexual and physical abuse by the caretakers. One of the residents was pregnant when I was there. I am thankful for my father's work in closing Fairview. Many of those people could have been highly functioning adults if given the opportunity. The more severely disabled could have lived in smaller group homes as they do now. Thank you, Kent, for sharing this video. Don't let it fool you.
What amazed me about the film was that despite the film maker's obvious efforts to paint a nice picture, I was horrified by what I saw. So I can only imagine how horrified I would be by what your Dad saw (and you got a glimpse of). I talked with Bud just a bit about it. I know he has seen some very tragic things in his life. It was clear that Fairview was one of those things.
Post a Comment