Comments on: What Makes Institutions Bad

By: Andrea Shettle, MSW

Andrea Shettle, MSW — Sat, 06 May 2017 00:10:37 +0000

Reblogged this on Rambling Justice and commented: By Mel Baggs

By: Link: “What Makes Institutions Bad” – Site Title

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By: Independent Living | fitorehyseni

Independent Living | fitorehyseni — Thu, 03 Dec 2015 15:04:02 +0000

[…] [28] Baggs, M. (2012, January 23). What Makes Institutions Bad [Blog]. Retrieved December 3, 2015, from https://ballastexistenz.wordpress.com/2012/01/23/what-makes-institutions-bad/ […]

By: The Problem With Institutions | Disability Courses 2013

The Problem With Institutions | Disability Courses 2013 — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 02:40:00 +0000

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By: Lexilei

Lexilei — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 18:53:20 +0000

I’m so glad to see that the horrific treatment you receive does not and has not broken your spirit or robbed you of your intelligence. You’re a gifted woman and have a way with words. I’m shattered at how inhumanely you and others are treated. God bless you for being so strong and sharing your experiences with us. Thank you for teaching me that this tragedy is still happening today.

By: mrscripple

mrscripple — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 22:09:13 +0000

Reading this brought me back to my childhood and VAC(Vt. Achievement Ctr.)and other schools camps that were supposed to be there for US. Your description of being oppressed in your soul, feeling that sickness when you wake up from dreaming about being there and having to give up your heart and soul to just physically survive. Not survive internally, you hide part of yourself to keep from having those taken along with you pride, your, humanity, your self worth. When I was assaulted, raped, treated like I was nothing, less then nothing. That by stepping on me they could make themselves better then I was, by caring for us they were angels treating those poor cripples. (vomit goes here). I had to hide precious piece’s of my humanity to keep from going insane, and by having those small piece’s I could rob them at least of those parts of me. In that way it seems we were all treated like were 2 years old, or less. Patted on the head and told to do it the RIGHT way, which was there way or punishment followed. Locking us in a room with out access to a bathroom and when we soiled ourselves we were degraded and emotionally assaulted. I remember those times with a certain amount of terror, anger, anguish, and pray that I never have to go through those times again. But I know so many of our people today are having those things happen, mere survival is all they have. Degradation is their daily bread, treated as soulless heartless beings by those with the control. Things to be manipulated in whatever way the providers of their daily care wish to. We all know that telling is not done because retaliation will follow swiftly and painfully. I pray for those who are still where we were, pray for myself to not ever be there again, and to work endlessly, tirelessly to close those doors forever. That no person with a disability has to endure those cruelty’s again we are worthy of choice, choice for housing, care, support, love, kindness, and most of all equality in all things! Those memories keep me fighting and knowing that those who have gone before us fought the good fight keep us going. As hard as things can get, at the very least we are not there, and we can work to keep ourselves and our peers from every having to be forced into the arms of our tormentors again.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:00:19 +0000

In reply to chaoticidealism. The funny thing about that is that the only way to practically ensure people will become rebellious and bitter is to not give them any freedom. I do think though that in order to adequately teach children to think for themselves, you absolutely do have to accept that this is one possible outcome. If you don't accept that, then what you're giving people isn't freedom because it's conditional on them thinking and feeling a certain way.

By: chaoticidealism

chaoticidealism — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:12:39 +0000

In reply to bjcirceleb. I think that some of the solution would be to teach children how to advocate for themselves, how to make good use of the various services and technologies that let us make our own decisions even when we can't do those things ourselves. It would probably be a pretty big paradigm shift, to go from an environment that encourages compliance to one that encourages self-determination; but it would be worth it, and I think it's possible because I've seen quite a few parents doing it for their children. If we could only remember that it is possible to teach a child to be assertive without also tempting them to become rebellious and bitter, as many parents seem to fear they might become if they were taught that their own opinions and feelings were as valid as those of authority figures.

By: bjcirceleb

bjcirceleb — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:34:40 +0000

What you said made perfect sense. I have been continuously institutionalised in the community my whole life, primarily due to Autism and to a lesser degree mental health problems. But I question how simply shutting them is going to change. I was forced to attend a mainstream school and I would not wish that education on my worst enemy. Even Hitler did not deserve what I got in my eyes. I could talk about it forever. One thing I did get was the one on one aid. EVERYWHERE I went, even the toilet, I had an adult following me. I was never ever allowed for one second to be even one metre away from them. If that is not instituationalisation I don’t know what is. In fact I know of parents who have made what for them was a heartbreaking decision to put there child in a special school as the child would have some level of independence, and they saw it as there job to help a child to develop independence. At the mainstream school, sure they get to sit in a classroom with other kids, but with an adult sitting right next to them ALL the time. They are not and never will be in the present day allowed to be normal kids within that school. And the other kids see something as wrong with them, primarily because of the aids presence. While I am all for inclusion to say that simply providing aids is the answer could not in my opinion be further from the truth. Of course it also fails in recognising that many of these children do not learn as the average person learns and they have no access to specialised teachers, what they have are aids. A child who is blind for instance, needs in the very early of school someone who can teach them WHY that set of dots is an A. They need a specialised teacher who can provide them with that. But that is seen as discrimination as they need to be included and so inclusion means sitting them in a classroom with an aid, who could not teach them for the life of them. And we say but we put it all in braille. But in order for Braille to be of any use, they have to be able to read braille. We put a sign language interprepter in with 3 year olds in preschool and the other kids and the kid concerned has no concept of how to use it. On top of that they don’t understand why the hell they can’t just learn to listen like they can. Interpreters are fine in later years of school and college, but not at preschool. It would be like saying you go out and enter a relationship with a deaf person and have an interpreter in your bedroom for intimate encounters. I could not read or write until the age of 15. At the age of 15 I was sitting in a mainstream classroom learning the alphabet while the rest of the class studied shakespere? How was that inclusion and how could I possibly gain from that. I felt as though I was a retarded idiot and I was not and could not be included in the class. In order to be included, I actually had to have some idea of what was going on, and to be able to participate in it. At the age of 15 my parents hired a private special education teacher to tutor me and finally I had someone who could see inside of me and find out how I learned. Within 12 months I understood how to learn and was in classes for the gifted. But the mainstream education didn’t do that. It made me feel totally retarded and institutionalised me with full time adults following me everywhere I went, and watching my every move, and not in any suttle way at all. Total segregation is wrong, but shoving all kids in together and simply handing them an aid is no better. Until we as a society are willing to admit that we have no idea of the best ways to teach people with disabilites then I can’t see anything changing at all. What I can say is the current policy is no better than the past and is just as if not more damaging. I personally lived through it. The reality is that we need to be willing to have an honest discussion about this and I don’t see that happening anywhere. I do not want to see kids segregated in special schools, but equally I don’t want to see them suffering as I suffered, and as I see happening every day of the week. An aid is an institution. You yourself said that (staff following you) and yet you also seem to advoate for them in saying that all kids should be in the same school all the time? How do we put such children in standard classes and expect them to cope alone. They can’t do that, but then again and aid is not the answer either??

By: chaoticidealism

chaoticidealism — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 19:45:11 +0000

Linked to this on my blog.–http://chaoticidealism.livejournal.com/

It brings back some rather distressing memories for me, though nowadays I can deal with it. My experiences were at a cult-like institution that called itself a school, but wasn’t. It wasn’t even for disabled people; it was one of those fundamentalist schools… the kind that calls Bob Jones liberal. They took your ability to think from you; they broke up your friendships. You couldn’t trust anybody. I very nearly lost my faith because they used that against me, too. And I was one of the “good kids”. It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen–not a scrap of litter, everything clean, everything perfect. Nothing messy. Even the teachers’ handwriting was perfect. And… I still have nightmares that I’m there and I can’t get out. Makes me wonder how widespread this “institution” thing is–beyond just places for the elderly and/or disabled–where else this happens, and how it can be stopped.