Willowbrook State School

It wasn't all that long ago that developmentally disabled children, particularly those with intellectual challenges, were hidden away and cared for in institutions. Out of sight, out of mind. The largest such institution in the US was Willowbrook State School in Staten Island, New York. It had a capacity of 4,000, but by 1965, it housed 6,000 residents. 

By the 1950s, it was clear to the administration that the families of the children living at Willowbrook were not coming to visit, so they could get away with anything. There were unethical medical experiments performed on residents who could neither consent nor complain. After that era, Willowbrook was seriously overcrowded, underfunded, and understaffed. The employees who did their best were forced to take shortcuts because they had too many residents to care for, and other employees were uncaring and abusive. It took a series of exposé to bring attention to the conditions at Willowbrook, and even more horrors were discovered after the school closed.