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In 1997, WISH-TV secretly filmed resident abuse by employees inside New Castle State Developmental Center in New Castle, Indiana. The impact of making the disturbing, hidden camera footage public was the closure of the Center in 1998. Channel 8, the…

In 1997, WISH-TV secretly filmed resident abuse by employees inside New Castle State Developmental Center in New Castle, Indiana. The impact of making the disturbing, hidden camera footage public was the closure of the Center in 1998. Channel 8, the…

In 1997, WISH-TV secretly filmed resident abuse by employees inside New Castle State Developmental Center in New Castle, Indiana. The impact of making the disturbing, hidden camera footage public was the closure of the Center in 1998. Channel 8, the…

On December 24, 1958, Mary Lou and Don Melloy were told their daughter Cindy should be placed in an institution. Mary Lou said, “My response was that they didn’t know what they were talking about…a very unhappy, aggressive mother left the room.”…

On December 24, 1958, Mary Lou and Don Melloy were told their daughter Cindy should be placed in an institution. Mary Lou said, “My response was that they didn’t know what they were talking about…a very unhappy, aggressive mother left the room.”…

"I must be completely honest - I was not the first person to introduce the Americans with Disabilities Act," retired U.S. Senator Tom Harkin pointed out in an interview with the Indiana Disability History Project. In fact, Senator Harkin had been one…

“We have an opinion and it matters,” states Kelsey Cowley. Unfortunately, Kelsey didn’t feel many people listened to her during her school years. She says, “They just didn’t understand people with disabilities to the whole extent.” As President of…

"Even though professionals are very good and a lot of times very empathetic, it's still not the same as having lived it 24 hours a day." As both a parent of an adult daughter with intellectual/developmental disabilities and a retired disability…

“We were scratching our heads saying, this is wrong. This isn't the right way to do it, but I'm not sure what the right way is,” describes Patrick Sandy of his experience with the Deinstitutionalization Project at the Developmental Training Center…

“They asked me to work on the objective of developing an Arc in every county in Indiana,” says Don Melloy. Don would take off after to work to travel around the state meeting with parents and community members. He would discuss the benefits of…