The Days of Hope
One of the things that I failed to include in Kevin’s story was that he became one of the pioneers in the de-institutionalization movement of the 1980’s. He was the fourth or fifth person to be moved from one of the Wisconsin Centers for People with Developmental Disabilities into small community-based settings. It seems like such a long time ago when the hope of ending institutional life in favor of supporting people in communities was possible. The plan was to close all state institutions and establish practices that help people live within the broader community. They would receive the supports they needed to live the lives they choose. No more separating people with disabilities by placing them in institutions.
The 80s and 90s were days when we put all of our energy and effort into innovation. We tried to find new ways of listening to people, developing avenues for them to be empowered to make their own choices, and seeking new ways to support them in their own homes. Much of them movement did succeed, but 40 years later we are still very far from that vision. All three of the Wisconsin state centers (institutions) remain open today. Their focus has narrowed. The centers provide short term services and have a smaller population than they did when Kevin lived there. However, there are some people still living permanently at Southern Wisconsin Center. They were admitted before 1995. There have been no “permanent” admissions since 1995.
We still have a long way to go to develop the living options for people in the community that we had hoped for in the 1980s. The change in Wisconsin that occurred in the last 15 years or so, has had a significant impact on these goals as well. What was once a county managed system of care has changed to a managed care model, called Family Care, run by large nonprofit corporations. This has reduced waiting lists but has also led to a reduction in the variety of options available. People have some level of choice in this system, but the real drive for many placements is what is available at the least cost. Personal choice or preference are often not an option.
