lost in laconia

Question 1

when did the school open?

Answer 1

1903 with 58 children admitted.

Question 2

why did some people go to the school?

Answer 2

• because they had nowhere to go
• their parents did not love them
• because their families had too many people to take care of or they were getting too old to take care of the

Question 3

what were almshouses/poorhouses?

Answer 3

places where a bunch of dependent people lived, people who needed housing: the elderly, people with disabilities.

Question 4

was their separation between genders in almshouses/poorhouses??

Answer 4

no, there was not.

Question 5

what did the pressures against the almshouses lead to?

Answer 5

political leaders started to consider building state-operated, residential schools for children with disabilities.

Question 6

the poor were seen as in that position because of what?

Answer 6

because of their actions, not society.

Question 7

who was the the first superintendent of laconia state school?

Answer 7

dr. charles sherman.

Question 8

what did dr. charles sherman believe?

Answer 8

he thought it was necessary to keep “defectives” in one place for the betterment of society.

Question 9

why was a lot of excess land bought around the school?

Answer 9

to prevent trespassing.

Question 10

what was the population of the school?

Answer 10

ranged from children to adults.

Question 11

who was dr. benjamin ward baker?

Answer 11

• another superintendent
• he was a physician, and there was the belief that physicians made the best educators

Question 12

what was eugenics used to justify?

Answer 12

that belief that some races were superior to others.

Question 13

being “feeble minded” was seen as what?

Answer 13

something shameful.

Question 14

in 1924, new hampshire school for the feeble minded was changed to what?

Answer 14

to its new name (laconia state school).

Question 15

what was one of the reasons for the increased admissions at the school?

Answer 15

eugenics.

Question 16

eugenics was seen as what?

Answer 16

a way to solve social problems by blaming people/victims of the system.

Question 17

people thought that if we selected who could reproduce then we could what?

Answer 17

create a better society.

Question 18

disabled people were seen as a what?

Answer 18

threat.

Question 19

families with a person or people with disabilities were what?

Answer 19

shamed.

Question 20

what was one of the only ways to get out of laconia?

Answer 20

to get sterilized.

Question 21

what was it necessary to be sterilized at laconia?

Answer 21

this was to ensure that their “bad genes” would not be passed on.

Question 22

when was new hampshire’s first sterilization law enacted?

Answer 22

1917.

Question 23

what did new hampshire’s first sterilization law do?

Answer 23

• allowed sterilization for feeble-minded people
• after a while, law was changed so that consent from the person to be sterilized was no longer needed

Question 24

in 1947, how many sterilization happened at laconia?

Answer 24

264.

Question 25

when was the practice of sterilization was discontinued?

Answer 25

1958.

Question 26

why were families recommended to send their child to laconia?

Answer 26

they thought that it would be in their child's best interest.

Question 27

who was sterilized more, men or women?

Answer 27

women.

Question 28

what often happened when many disabled people were institutionalized?

Answer 28

they were forgotten about.

Question 29

what abuse happened at laconia?

Answer 29

- many students were forced to just sit and do nothing - many students were physically/verbally abused by other students and staff - some people in wheelchairs were pushed down the stairs

Question 30

who was richard hungerford?

Answer 30

- new superintendent in 1952 - was not a medical provider, but instead a teacher - he invited parents in to visit - formed the new hampshire for retarded children, a parent organization for the laconia school

Question 31

what were the bathrooms like at laconia?

Answer 31

- toilets and bathrooms not taken care of, toilet bowls were cracked and leaked - they did not renovate them as they thought that the students did not know how to use the toilets anyway

Question 32

how was food like at laconia?

Answer 32

- there was often not enough food for the people there - people had to call to get more food because the dining halls were cutting back

Question 33

what did hungerford do with housing?

Answer 33

- built new, nice cottages - created co-educational activities for the residents and made a new geriatrics building

Question 34

why was hungerford not well-liked by politicians?

Answer 34

he asked for too much and he was too ahead of his time.

Question 35

who was arthur toll?

Answer 35

- the new superintendent of the 1960s - invited parents in and emphasized education, but laconia was still rooted in treatment - students were given pills to behave

Question 36

how many residents were at the school in 1962?

Answer 36

990.

Question 37

how many residents were at the school in 1970?

Answer 37

1,162.

Question 38

because of how laconia was set up, a lot of students were not prepared for what?

Answer 38

the real world.

Question 39

usually it was two staff members for every what?

Answer 39

40 residents.

Question 40

before staff members gave food to the residents, they had to do what?

Answer 40

- they had tied them to a bench to signify that they had not eaten - they would be untied after they ate - staff say it was the only way to know if a client had been fed

Question 41

although a lot of heinous things happened at laconia, it was thought to be what?

Answer 41

one of the best institutions at the time.

Question 42

what was the RSA 171-A division of mental health?

Answer 42

establish, maintain, implement, and coordinate a system to help developmentally disabled people.

Question 43

who was jack melton?

Answer 43

- the new superintendent of 1975 - a psychologist - he wanted to upgrade the facilities at the school

Question 44

what is the state association for retarded citizens/association for retarded citizens?

Answer 44

approached the new hampshire legal assistance to look into the conditions at laconia.

Question 45

conditions at laconia were worse than what?

Answer 45

state hospitals and even prisons.

Question 46

what was garrity vs. gallen?

Answer 46

a lawsuit stating that new hampshire violated RSA 171-A and the U.S. constitution by not providing enough services for residents at laconia.

Question 47

there was a myth that the people at the laconia school were what?

Answer 47

dangerous and had the most-severe disabilities.

Question 48

who was rich croker?

Answer 48

- the last superintendent of laconia state school in 1986 - introduced an education program for the clients - the institution downsized during this time

Question 49

when did the school close?

Answer 49

on january 31st, 1991.

Question 50

the goal about learning about laconia is to what?

Answer 50

not have it repeat.