The Willowbrook Wars: Bringing the Mentally Disabled into the Community

by David J. Rothman

The Willowbrook Wars is a dramatic and illuminating account of the effort to close down a scandal-ridden institution and return its 5,400 handicapped residents to communities in New York. The wars began in 1972 with Geraldo Rivera's televised raid on the Willowbrook State School. They continued for three years in a federal courtroom, with civil libertarian lawyers persuading a conservative and conscience-stricken judge to expand the rights of the disabled, and they culminated in a 1975 consent decree, with the state of New York pledging to accomplish the unprecedented assignment in six years. From 1975 to 1982, David and Sheila Rothman observed this remarkable chapter in American reform of mental disabilities care. Would the state live up to its agreement without "dumping" residents into other nightmarish institutions? Would the lawyers prove as interested in meeting client needs as in securing client rights? Could a tradition-bound bureaucracy create a new network of community services? And finally, would a governor and a legislature tolerate such outside intervention, and if so, for how long? In answering these questions, The Willowbrook Wars takes us behind the scenes to clarify the role of the judiciary, the fate of the underprivileged, and the potential for social justice. In their new afterword, the authors bring the story up to date, describing the results of the closing of the institution in 1987 from the experiences of integrating the former residents into communities to the legal battles between the state of New York and advocates for the mentally handicapped.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Disability, Politics

427 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 1984

Reviews

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to read this book after reading about Pennhurst which is a similar institution. The book showcased how shocking and horrific the conditions were in the Willowbrook facility which was overcrowded and understaffed. The conditions aired on Geraldo to show people how inadequate the residents were treated. I enjoyed reading how there were people who intervened and fought to improve conditions through legal methods. Some of the residents were sent to group homes that were less crowded and were in better condition. Several considerations were made about how to deal with the residents such as possibly building a newer/better facility only the design didn’t seem to fit their needs. Lack of funding was obviously an issue. Parents seemed to feel helpless about what to do with their loved ones. They were encouraged to send their children to Willowbrook for special care since taking care of a child like that would be overwhelming to parents. One point that was brought up in the book was about preemies and under sized births that could lead to intellectual disabilities. I did not previously realize that having a smaller sized baby could lead to a child becoming disabled. The concern was about allowing a baby like that to live which could lead the child into a horrific setting such as Willowbrook. I would have liked to have seen better conditions for underserved residents rather than making a decision if a child like that should be allowed to live. There were adequate notes in the back of the book over interviews and how different information was received. I liked that something was trying to be done to better provide for disabled people. That continuing to allow people in such conditions could not be accepted. I liked that there were staff such as nurses who had children in the Willowbrook facility because they could identify with the crisis of having family in inadequate conditions. The book was well organized and shed light on how people deserved better treatment regardless of being disabled.