An Unfinished Journey:

Parents Start Fighting for Rights

By 1950, more than 140,000 people with developmental disabilities lived in state-run institutions in the United States. Overcrowding and living conditions worsened. The parent and self-advocacy movements arose to address these abuses.

In September 1950, ninety parents from 15 states came together in Minneapolis to participate in the first national parent association conference. A newspaper reporter called them "parents with a purpose" who had no money and no formal organization. They were strangers with only one goal—to help their loved ones. Minnesota Governor Luther Youngdahl wholeheartedly supported their aspirations for their children with these words:

"He has the same rights that children everywhere have. He has the right to happiness, the right to play, the right to companionship, the right to be respected, the right to develop to the fullest extent within his capacity, and the right to love and affection. He has these rights for one simple reason. He is a child."

Photo of Minnesota Governor Luther Youngdahl.

This grassroots effort led to what is now called The Arc, which is the largest national community-based organization advocating for and with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Parents and parent associations often served as plaintiffs in early lawsuits about the right to treatment and the right to education. Parents and families continue to work on public policy issues at state and federal levels.

Photo: A family of six people with five smiling and looking at the camera. Older man on the right is kissing a little girl on the cheek. Photo courtesy of Sherie Wallace

The Arc Minnesota: https://arcminnesota.org/