As reported by AM NY, On October 27th, advocates, family members, and former residents of the Willowbrook State School, (shuttered in 1987,) commemorated the 50th anniversary of the landmark civil rights case that shut down the neglected facility. The New York Appellate Division, First Department hosted a panel at the historic First Department courthouse in Manhattan. A panel of family members and professionals from the field shared their memories and the impact of the Willowbrook Consent Decree and considered the ongoing fight for funding to support people with disabilities.
Marco Damiani, CEO of AHRC NYC, said low wages for care workers is another issue tied to inadequate government funding.
“If there was high respect and [understanding] that people with disabilities are like everybody else, then we would see higher wages. I can’t prove that, but I have a strong feeling that’s what it is. That their life is not valued equally to most of us in this room. Therefore, we’re struggling,” Damiani said.
