Not all that long ago, many people with disabilities were relegated to institutions — hospitals and mental health facilities — where, at best, their basic needs were met and at worst, they were crowded, neglected, and abused. They were separated from their families — who often were unable to provide adequate care — and rarely, if ever, thought to have talents and competencies that might allow them to live in and contribute to their communities.
In fact, until the mid-1950s, much of the general public still cited early 20th century studies claiming that people with mental retardation were a menace to society — and the cause of most all crime, social ills and even poverty — a mindset that became the foundation of efforts to warehouse people with disabilities across the United States throughout the early 1900s.
Change is possible
Then, during the 1960s, racial minorities brought the issue of civil rights to the forefront of American society — paving the way for class action lawsuits on behalf of other minorities as well, including people with physical or mental disabilities. It was during this time that Maine parents and other socially-conscious citizens filed a class-action suit in Federal District Court in Portland on behalf of the residents at the Pineland Center in New Gloucester — called the Maine School for the Feebleminded when it opened in 1908 — citing appalling conditions and treatment.
The result was the Pineland (Community) Consent Decree, which covered about 1,000 individuals who had been involuntarily committed to Pineland on or after July 3, 1975 and set rigorous standards for treatment, both for those at Pineland and for class members in the community.
Everything is possible
But that wasn't enough for some people, and it certainly wasn't enough for Bonnie-Jean Brooks, who believed two things: that everything is possible and that people with disabilities should be provided with opportunities and support services that allow them to be part of their families and live in their communities. So, fueled by the groundswell of support for people with disabilities, but knowing there was still a lot to be done, she quit her teaching job and, in 1979, founded a nonprofit called Opportunity Housing Inc., or OHI.
OHI started out with two homes and offered support services to people with disabilities — mental illness, intellectual disabilities, or both — and provided them the opportunity to set goals, make choices, and to live and work within their communities.
The result? More than 30 years of success and growth. Today OHI supports nearly 400 people with disabilities in their own homes or apartments — or in one of OHI's staffed houses and in the community.
With OHI support, people with disabilities also volunteer in hospitals, fire departments, animal shelters, churches and synagogues, proving that everyone can be more independent and can be assets to their community if given the chance — and the right combination of support services.
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Support services
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