Willowbrook: A Retrospective on Systems Change

The Spring 2022 Disability Studies lecture series will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Exposé of Willowbrook State School and its influence in the systems change for the field. This two-part lecture series will examine systems change from two different vantage points.

The Disability Studies Program is pleased to feature our very own Dr. Mariette Bates to kick off the special two-part lectures this spring, with Ordinary People Changing Systems. Since beginning her career as an advocate for residents of psychiatric centers and other institutions in New York, Dr. Bates has been steadfastly driving systems change, advocating for the unserved and underserved, and sharing her expertise through teaching. She witnessed the creation of community services from her days working at One to One, a foundation started by Geraldo Rivera in the wake of his exposé of Willowbrook State School.  Dr. Bates will bring to life for us how the Willowbrook exposé and people mobilizing in its wake led to a revolution in thinking and care for people with intellectual disability.