Reaction to "Where's Molly?"

Blogger Kay Olson, who describes herself as a “thirtysomething disabled feminist,” reacts to “Where’s Molly?” in a guest essay on the CNN site. She says the widespread acceptance of institutionalization in years past is a tragedy that continues to stigmatize people with developmental disabilities today.

” … we’re still living with the legacy of those folks being segregated, made invisible, and devalued. It has impacted how we view developmental disability and the way we think of difference - we have all been taught implicitly by this history that people who are intellectually or developmentally different do not belong among us because they’re dangerous, completely incompetent and lack any ability to contribute to society. And those beliefs are not true.”

The tragedy is exacerbated, she says, by the fact that abortion was legalized before people with disabilities were able to be fully integrated into the community. As a result, she says,

“… fear and stigma are a bigger part of [reproductive] choice than they might otherwise be if acceptance and providing community resources and integration were a bigger part of our social history instead.”

Molly and Jeff Daly

From a new documentary featured on CNN:

In 1957, when Jeff Daly was 6 years old, his 2-year-old sister suddenly disappeared from his family.

For nearly 50 years, Jeff and his family lived their lives as if his sister had never existed.

One day, after both his parents had died, Jeff found the answer to the question he wasn't supposed to ask

Following records his father had kept, Jeff Daly learned that his parents had sent Molly to a state institution for the "feeble-minded" in Oregon shortly before her third birthday. He searched for her, built a new life that includes her, and then lobbied for a change in Oregon law that now makes it easier for families to locate people who had been institutionalized.

Now Daly has made a documentary film that explores his family's journey. "Where's Molly?" opens a window on the practice that led to the institutionalization of an estimated half a million children with disabilities in the '50s alone. More on the film can be found here and here.

CNN explores the history and significance of institutionalization in the 1950s and 60s, and traces the legacy of stigma and shame that is still felt today.

"My lovely son, the Hollywood star"

Max Lewis and his mother, Sandy.
Max was featured in "Notes on a Scandal." (Daily Mail photo)

Here's a refreshing first-person article by Sandy Lewis in the (UK) Daily Mail. Sandy's 13-year-old son Max played opposite Cate Blanchett in "Notes on a Scandal," recently released on DVD. Sandy documents her personal journey, starting with the emotional story of her son's Down syndrome diagnosis and ending with his successful star turn in Hollywood.

Along the way, Sandy learns to ignore the negative predictions of "professionals" and instead to focus on the many strenths of her son, a gifted performer whose smile can light up a room. She has harsh words for the nurse who counseled her to institutionalize her baby, and for the parents who complained when they found their children shared a classroom with Max. She's looking forward to a bright acting future for Max, who is eagerly seeking roles that are written for "a boy with lots of talent."

Thisislondon.co.uk has another story on Max. Key quote: he likes acting "because I'm brilliant at it." For more information about actors with Down syndrome, go to www.dsiam.org, an online service based in Los Angeles.