A lot of people were very
uncomfortable about talking about
disabilities or seeing people with
disabilities, particularly at
the State Hospitals, where they
had the more seriously impaired.
And some people were very
physically impaired and even,
or especially for a parent it was
very hard to see, too. But when
legislators went down, and we would
organize bus tours. First we
worked on the wives of the
legislators, because they were in
St. Paul and not at home if they
came from around the state.
And we had bus tours for them.
And then we worked on the key
legislators themselves and had bus tours.
And, you know, what they wanted to do
when they went down there.
Of course, they also had
hearings down there eventually,
because they had to deal with
all the appropriations.
All the State Hospitals had farms
in those days to provide food for
the residents. And they used to
love to go out to the barns.
Of course, they were mostly farmers
in those days. And so we always
had a hard time getting them
to stay in the hospital and look
at the residents and get involved
in the programs. I can remember
going to the very hospital
unit at Faribault, that's where
the most severely damaged people
were in. It's a difficult experience.
And I saw a legislator
go in, sort of take a look,
and turn around and leave.
Obviously it was emotionally
too painful for him.
And I've often thought
about this. So, what I did,
I intercepted him and I began
talking to him and sort of turned
him around and took him back
in and said, "I'd like to explain
some things." So I sort of
verbally led him through there,
and I've always felt, you know,
he wanted to duck out, as it was painful.
And I've often wondered,
"Was that appropriate or not?"
But we just had the feeling
if you're a legislator, you've
got to see it. You've got to see
what it's like, because you're
responsible for these people.
And it's too easy just to turn
it off and not realize it.
This is why the visiting program was
always so terribly important.