"If he had called about a skinny dog in someone’s yard

[loyalsister]

he says, the response would have been quicker, and better."

Where are they now? It appears that with some outside advocacy some of the men who were treated as subhuman in Iowa have been able to salvage some goodness from life.

Many of the violations were clearly illegal, but many of the financial injustices were legal. President Obama has initiated some real progress with his EO raising minimum wage, but institutions can still take portions of the income of elderly people and those with disabilities.

This Dickensian story — told here through court records, internal documents and extensive first-time interviews with several of the men — is little known beyond Iowa. But five years after their rescue, it continues to resound in halls of power. Last year the case led to the largest jury verdict in the history of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: $240 million in damages — an award later drastically reduced, yet still regarded as a watershed moment for disability rights in the workplace. In both direct and subtle ways, it has also influenced government initiatives, advocates say, including President Obama’s recent executive order to increase the minimum wage for certain workers.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/03/09/us/the-boys-in-the-bunkhouse.html?_r=1

[MineralMan]

1. What a horrifying story!

That such a thing could happen in this country is a condemnation of our social justice system.

[loyalsister]

2. Sorry

It's not pleasant Sun AM reading for sure. I think we have to remember it, though.
All they really wanted was an ordinary life with some of the perks that are naturally available for nondisabled people.

[MineralMan]

3. No need to be sorry. We all need to know about

situations like this. And then we all need to look more closely at our own communities.

[thucythucy]

4. Pleasant or not this is an important story

for people to see, any day of the week.

Thank you for posting this, and best wishes.

[loyalsister]

8. I think so too

I am reminded of the story on Goodwill where the employees were said to "take pride" in their work.

[tkmorris]

7. That hurt my soul to read

I think my filters are down today, that article reached right through to my core and made me bleed. I love people, I really do, but I hate them sometimes too. The evil we are capable of sometimes makes me want to just go find those closest to me and hold on tight, never let them go.

[loyalsister]

9. It is absolutely heartbreaking

It brought me to tears, too. I have friends and a family member who could have wound up in that kind of situation.

[Bluenorthwest]

5. No charges ever filed.

This is just unspeakable.

[loyalsister]

6. You would think there would be

On the other hand, there might have been a strategy. Is it possible that identifying crimes as civil rights violations may have been necessary to pursue the civil lawsuit? I'm thinking that criminal prosecution might have thwarted the possibility of recovering damages.

[Downwinder]

10. Reads like something from Steinbeck.

[jwirr]

11. Years ago a person could be sent to an mental institution upon the say so of 10 people. My aunt was

placed into the institution at Cherokee Iowa when her husband decided that he did not want her around any longer. He got 10 friends to testify regarding her behavior and off she went. She lived there for 40 years (out in the late 50s). She was expected to work in their kitchens and never received a cent in pay. When she was released she wanted to sue them for payment but the family did not want her to get into any more trouble that would send her back. There is no doubt that she was mentally ill but she was capable of living on her own. For the remainder of her life she lived in the town she was born in and did not hurt anyone. But she was very poor.

This court order in Waterloo should have happened all over the country not just Iowa. One way things are better now is that no one can be sent to an institution without a doctors order and a court hearing. The other is that placement is not a given because many patients can and do live in their own communities. Unfortunately many communities/families do not have places for their mentally ill. In our case the lady was living in her own home just across from her brother and other family members also assisted her.

[loyalsister]

12. "This court order in Waterloo should have happened all over the country"

Indeed so. Beginning with Dorothy Dix, there have been numerous incidences of such discoveries. The fact that these are being uncovered nearly 100 years after she called attention to it is chilling.
With the Independent Living movement and then Olmstead institutionalization has been reduced. It still is a problem, however.

I have a cousin whose intellectual development was inhibited because of a high fever. To the credit of his parents he was not institutionalized (despite doctor's recommendations) and he has a satisfying life. He has a job and a girlfriend and is in his late 50s now. He has always loved the Beatles and bowling. His parents are truly great people. They helped him get his driver's license and backed him up when it came to asserting his independence.

[lumberjack_jeff]

13. "we were retired"

I think that kind of sums up the employment relationship.

Sheltered workshops have outlived their purpose.

[loyalsister]

15. Ad yet

They are still listed as goals in IEPs. Stopping that is one of several NCD recommendations.

[Scuba]

14. Another horror story of over-regulating an industry. Oh wait.