Every so often an article is published that epitomizes the very nature of the independent living movement. An article recently published in the Missoula Independent by Naomi Kimbell entitled Institutionalization, eugenics, and the legacy of the Boulder River School is one such article. In her article Naomi speaks of her past experiences with a family member who lived at what is now known as the Montana Developmental Center in Boulder, Montana. She uses those experiences to give readers a more personal perspective into the institutionalization of people with disabilities and what little rights and personal freedoms, if any, individuals subjected to institutionalized care had…or even have today. Naomi talks about the history of how individuals with disabilities were treated, including how many were subjected to forced sterilization, which brought about the independent living movement and her article serves as a stark reminder of why we must never give up the fight for full and equal treatment and opportunities for people with disabilities.
If there ever was an article that should be required reading for anyone in the disability rights movement, Institutionalization, eugenics, and the legacy of the Boulder River School by Naomi Kimbell is it. Check it out for yourself at:
