Institutionalization

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[Image description: Several people, many in wheelchairs, occupying a street holding a banner that reads "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere"- Martin Luther King Jr.]

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People with disabilities have been placed in institutions for centuries, as there is an assumption made that they are the only places they can go to get the proper support. This has resulted in much mistreatment, segregation, and trauma. Institutions are not as common as they once were, with many of the most infamous institutions in America now having closed such as Willowbrook and Pennehurst. However, institutions still exist in many different forms, and are very much still sights of abuse and trauma.

Autistic people are among some of the people who have historically been institutionalized. Many have written about their experiences in them. Viewer discretion is advised.