It wasn’t so long ago that people like my 29 year old son were sent away from their families at birth. When I was born in the 60s that would have been routine. It didn’t register with me until I was an adult with a disabled child of my own that I had seen almost no disabled children when I was school age, and certainly none with intellectual disabilities. I know now that some of those missing children were in places like Huronia Regional Centre.
In her article Institutionalizing people with disabilities hasn’t stopped — it just has a different name | CBC Documentaries , Marilyn Dolmage reviews some of the story of Huronia and the documentary Unloved: Huronia’s Forgotten Children. Conditions at Huronia were exposed as early as 1960 by Pierre Berton, in a 1971 provincial report and yet large institutions like Huronia weren’t phased out until 2009. Marilyn points out that large gaps in supports and services needed to support people with developmental disabilities persist to this day . She calls the documentary out as a call for change
“Let’s welcome and adore all babies and assist families with child care. Let’s all advocate for inclusive education and direct funding. No one wants to live and die in an institution. Let’s come closer — person to person, family to family, in stronger communities that remove barriers and express love through action. A diverse and accessible world is better for all of us.”
Marilyn Dolmage MSW is a disability rights advocate and was a litigation guardian in the class-action lawsuit concerning Huronia Regional Centre, where her brother, Robert, died. She promotes effective, inclusive education and personalized funding. Inspired by the short but meaningful life of her son, Matthew, she works alongside people with disabilities and their families to end segregation and create new support relationships. Dolmage is currently writing a book of essays and poetry.
