Tribute Letter To Caswell

The Willowbrook State School for children with mental retardation became notorious for and a prime example of a conflict between research and ethics when the details of a research project and the treatment of the residents. Willowbrook initially opened as a new hospital serving WWII veterans however this changed when in 1951, “the hospital was established as the Willowbrook State School for people suffering from mental disabilities” (Starogannis & Hill, 2008, p. 87). Willowbrook continued to serve as a fronted rehabilitation facility for the mentally

I was able to attend three church services at the Athens First United Methodist Church and gain insight on what it was like to be a weekly congregation member. While focusing on the members of the congregation and their mannerisms, the pastor and the way that the congregation was being addressed, and the overall routine of the service I was able to write-up the way that I felt and the things that I noticed while being present. I feel as if the Catholic and Methodist church are different and attending the mass was not something that I was used too. I was experiencing a different religion and church service. I felt like there was a sense of community at each service and I really liked the way that I personally felt welcome each time I went. I am not saying that the catholic church does not have a sense of community, maybe it is because Athens is a small town and members get to know each other very well or what but I felt a strong community vibe. I was able to focus in on the members specifically and the way that they interacted with one another and the pastor. Friendly, is the word that I would use to describe the members. Each person had a smile on their faces on entering and exiting the church. Reverend Robert McDowell did a wonderful job interacting and engaging with the congregation throughout the service. He wanted his people to listen and reflect on the words he was saying not just blankly listen to. Going to the Methodist church was an eye opening experience to me, realizing that going to church and being in college is not a bad thing. It takes up one hour of my time one day a week. This project made me realize the difference between religions and unfamiliar places and how it can be educational and exciting to

Dally I know what you’re thinking about doing and you shouldn’t do it. I know you lost Dally and it’s hard losing someone you love especially the only person you’ve ever loved. I lost people too in my life and it wasn’t easy doing it, but I had to move on. I couldn’t be stuck on that forever. Suicide is not an answer and there is so much you can do. Bad things happen, but that’s no reason to end your life.

Those 3-4 days we were there, I had a lot of exposure to older people and it just opened my mind to what was like to interact with seniors who were experiencing mental or physical disabilities, illnesses, etc. The whole experience change my attitude towards the elderly because I realized that their capacities/health start to deteriorate due to illness or aging, and that only a few of them remain in “good shape”. So, I started to be more attentive and careful around them. I also felt sad and intimidated around them due to the conditions they were in and their reactions they had toward the staff, other residents, or us. I will say that not all the residents were mean or anything because some of them were friendly, talkative, and had a good sense of

In the first two paragraphs of Sullivan Ballou’s letter to his wife, he talks about the seriousness of the situation and how determined he is to follow through on the task he has set for himself. In the letter, Sullivan Ballou writes, “Lest I should not be able to write again…and it may be of some conflict and death to me” (paragraph 1). This quote shows the seriousness and the severity of the situation, and that it could be a life-threatening situation. However, Sullivan Ballou still does what it takes to complete his job and is determined to follow through. In paragraph 3 Sullivan Ballou writes, “And I am willing-perfectly willing- to lay down all my joys in this life, to help maintain this government, and to pay that debt.” This shows that Sullivan Ballou is determined to do whatever it takes to help maintain the government even though it can cost him his life and all of the joys of his life. After the first two paragraphs of Sullivan Ballou’s letter, he transitions to the third paragraph where he changes the subject to his feelings for his wife Sarah. Sullivan Ballou starts paragraph 4 by writing her name at the beginning of the sentence to signify that he has stopped talking about the war and has now moved on to express his feeling and love to Sarah.

State institutions that house individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities have been a prominent part of history in the health professions. In 1967 in the United States, there were more than a quarter of a million state institutions that housed individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities (Waldman, 2017). One state institution that was around during that time period was Willowbrook State School which was located on Staten Island in New York City and was one of the largest run state schools for people with developmental disabilities. Willowbrook at its peak was home to over 6000 residents when its capacity was for just 4000 (Kaser, 2005). Willowbrook was a state institution that is most often described for dehumanizing its patients. Willowbrook housed both children and

Overcrowding became a major problem during the 1940s. Public pressure to reduce the lengthy waiting lists for admission to state hospitals and to remove mentally ill individuals from local jails increased occupancy in already overcrowded hospitals. In 1943, the legislature converted the Confederate Home for Men into a hospital for mentally ill male geriatric patients in order to provide beds in the larger hospitals. In 100 years, the state system for caring for the mentally ill grew to nine state hospitals scattered about the state. Their population had, however, begun to decline as a result of new treatment techniques and changing social ideas about the role of state psychiatric hospitals in caring for afflicted individuals (Creson).

Preparing for the event was very nerve-racking and I felt extremely anxious and apprehensive. The church attendance was all African Americans and mostly low-income with a mix of young and old. The church itself is very old, established in 1787, and sits in one of Carbondale’s poorer neighborhoods. I have been to this church before though, for work purposes to do a homeless count at the soup kitchen, so I was a little familiar with the church in general. Based on the soup kitchen experience the attendance of people in the church was pretty much as expected.

Until 1751, mentally ill people were placed in poorhouses because of the English poor laws of 1597 and 1601. Anyone that did not, or could not conform to societal norms was placed into these poorhouses, including the mentally ill or retarded, the physically disabled, and the homeless. Eventually, mental disabilities began to be considered different from other types of disabilities, and in 1751 Dr. Thomas Bond founded the first psychiatric hospital in Pennsylvania.(Johnson 5-6) In 1773, another psychiatric hospital was built in Williamsburg, Virginia, and was called the Eastern Lunatic Asylum. It only had 20 beds, and was never completely filled until the nineteenth century.(Torrey 81) Towards the end of the eighteenth century, the idea of moral treatment was

Through all of the pain and struggle, they continued to strive for greatness and overcome all odds. I applaud their journey and efforts. It makes me realize no matter what the situation is, I have to alway strive for greatness and want to succeed. This work really inspired me, it makes me come to a conclusion that failure is not a

Willowbrook was designed in 1958 as an idea to build a school for the developmentally disabled. The New York legislature approved more than 5 million dollars to purchase 375 acres of land in the Northern part of Staten Island. Thirty building were erected completely surrounded by woods. When it was finished in 1941 the World War II was ending and veterans were just returning home. Veterans Administration took over the building to care for their wounded. The temporary name was Halloran General Hospital. It wasn’t until 1951 that Willowbrook opened its doors as “Willowbrook State School for people with disabilities.” Within the first 4 years Willowbrook surpassed its capacity of 2,950 by housing about 3,600 residents. Parents during that time were pressured by society, doctors, and even the court system to place their children who did not meet society’s standards of “normal.” By 1965 Willowbrook housed over 6,000 residents. This institution had the highest population in all of New Your State of disabled people along with the highest population of African Americans and Puerto Ricans. More than 200,000 people with disabilities nation wide were dumped into different institutions. The first legislative social reform gave families no other choices. The Federal Government did not provide any assistance to help keep their children stay home. Willowbrook became a dumping ground for the developmentally disabled where they were subjected to deplorable conditions, abuse and even

"The Restored House Chapel strives to bring individuals of all ages, nations, and educational backgrounds to the Lord God Almighty and strengthen those who are broken-hearted, weak, and sick. When coming together, we strive to help people know God the

The outside observation that I went to, was the church service that was interpreted at Wind City Church. I often don’t go to church one because I haven’t really found the church for me, and it’s hard for me to understand and actually take in what it being said by the pastor, and when I do understand, sometimes it’s just hard for me to believe what is said, however, I do believe in God. Anyways, when I went to the service I wasn’t all that interested in going, but it turned out really good. I feel that it was a great observation for me, and it was very influential somehow.

The spiritual power of this experience is undeniable. Something about seeing all these Holy places up and close makes you think about the presence of God and your place in this universe. The memory of the visit and affect it has on people is never forgotten.

I think attending the play of “The Birth of Jesus” would have been exciting to see. I wish that they would have plays like that in our church; I believe that my children would love to see that. We have a theater about an hour way that puts on many shows and the one I would love to see is “Noah's Ark” where they actually bring in live animals. My cousin attending the show and she loved it.