22-04-2025
Washington must close this facility to protect our rights
After I was born, my father and mother had to make a difficult decision about where I would grow up. I was born in 1979 with a rare form of cerebral palsy that affected my nervous system, left me unable to walk and affected my speech. My parents could either put me in one of Washington State's developmental disability institutions, known as Residential Habilitation Centers (RHCs), or they could take me home and raise me as a valuable member of my family and community.
They chose the latter. I will be forever grateful for their choice.
Due to their support, I graduated from a state university, have a job and get to experience all that community living has to offer. Although I was spared the alternative of growing within the walls of a state institution, over 450 individuals are currently housed within four state-funded RHCs. After years of planning for the future and decades of demands for closure from people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), it is time to move into the future and provide these individuals with the choice of community living.
The legislature should stand with disability rights advocates and consolidate our state institutions by closing Rainier School RHC so that we may better invest in meaningful alternatives.
Many families have struggled with decisions like the one my parents made. For many years, RHCs felt like the only viable option to provide adequate care because of the lack of community-based services. In the 1970s, when institutional admission was at its highest, approximately 4,000 people lived in six Washington RHCs. Over the last 50 years, that number has fallen to 454 individuals and four institutions. For those of us at risk of being institutionalized, the closure of these facilities represents Washington's ongoing commitment to moving away from segregated living and our willingness to invest in care that centers the humanity of people with disabilities.
The movement to end institutionalization of people with disabilities gained notoriety after the 1972 exposé of Willowbrook State School in New York by Geraldo Rivera, who found that youth there were riddled with disease and subjected to widespread abuse and neglect. Closer to home, Disability Rights Washington reports in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021 have revealed recurring examples of RHCs being out of state and federal compliance, leading to numerous residents suffering from neglect, abuse and exploitation. These reports show repeated incidents of residents being victimized by RHC staff through sexual assaults, choking and malnourishment. Although there are undoubtedly people who have had positive experiences with these institutions, the ongoing reports of abuse are more than enough to warrant our state's transition away from RHCs.
Over the last 20 years, community advocates have created more residential options for people with higher support needs. Many individuals like myself choose to receive in-home care support to help with personal tasks in the bathroom, bedroom and kitchen. Others may receive services from a Supported Living agency or live in Adult Family Homes, state-operated living alternatives (SOLAs), or companion homes.
We have seen RHC populations plummet accordingly. Rainier School dropped from 318 residents in 2018 to just 84 today. As a result, costs per person have significantly increased. Care for those living in RHCs costs an average of $1,676 per person per day, while those in supported community living cost $625 per person per day. This congregate model of care is simply unsustainable and cannot meet the needs of our state budget or our community.
People with IDD overwhelmingly choose community care because of the independence, autonomy and freedom. In the community, we can make friends, stay in better contact with loved ones, work, go to church, garden and more. Living in the community often leads to an improved quality of life. People can also access community doctors, dentists and licensed therapists. In short, people choose community because, if you had the choice, why wouldn't you?
I am a proud member of Self Advocates in Leadership (SAIL), People First of Washington, and Allies in Advocacy, three organizations with over 1,200 members and run by those with IDD. I stand with advocates with disabilities and encourage our state legislators to close Rainier School. We ask to be believed. We ask to be prioritized. We want Washington State to follow the example of 18 other states and give people the choice to move into the community. It's where we belong.
Shawn Latham is the public policy coordinator for Self Advocates in Leadership (SAIL), a coalition of over 200 people with developmental disabilities interested in shaping public policy in Washington State. He is also the executive director at Allies in Advocacy and a member of People First of Washington. He has been a vocal advocate for people with disabilities for over twenty years.
