Editing Mount Pleasant State Training School
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Violating the rules led to punishment, which could be harsh. Sometimes students were beaten with a strap or rubber hose. Some endured the school; others ran away. The Mt. Pleasant Indian School closed in 1933. In exchange for the buildings, the state of Michigan agreed to allow the Indian children to attend public schools. | Violating the rules led to punishment, which could be harsh. Sometimes students were beaten with a strap or rubber hose. Some endured the school; others ran away. The Mt. Pleasant Indian School closed in 1933. In exchange for the buildings, the state of Michigan agreed to allow the Indian children to attend public schools. | ||
− | When the facility reopened in 1934 as the Michigan Home and Training School, the care of the developmentally disabled was much different than today’s standards. The first residents were men from the state home in Lapeer who provided labor to operate the farm and dairy operations at the facility, and were available for hire by community members for day jobs. At this time, the only hospital located in Mt. Pleasant existed at the ‘Michigan Home,’ the terms used by locals at the time for the Mt. Pleasant Center. In 1946 the institution was renamed Mt. Pleasant State Home and Training School. | + | "When the facility reopened in 1934 as the Michigan Home and Training School, the care of the developmentally disabled was much different than today’s standards. The first residents were men from the state home in Lapeer who provided labor to operate the farm and dairy operations at the facility, and were available for hire by community members for day jobs. At this time, the only hospital located in Mt. Pleasant existed at the ‘Michigan Home,’ the terms used by locals at the time for the Mt. Pleasant Center. In 1946 the institution was renamed Mt. Pleasant State Home and Training School. |
The time between the opening of the facility in 1934 until the reforms in Special Education laws and practices in the 1960s and 70s made for a dark time at the facility. Care was confined to only food and shelter. Efficiency over anything else was emphasized during this time, and living conditions did not meet the space and privacy requirements of today. Residents were handled in groups of up to 50, and photos show dormitories filled with wall-to-wall beds in day rooms that slept 50 to a room. A building spree happened in the 1950s, with buildings designed to provide a custodial level of care in the most expedient manner. Many of the buildings still in existence on the grounds today were constructed during this time. | The time between the opening of the facility in 1934 until the reforms in Special Education laws and practices in the 1960s and 70s made for a dark time at the facility. Care was confined to only food and shelter. Efficiency over anything else was emphasized during this time, and living conditions did not meet the space and privacy requirements of today. Residents were handled in groups of up to 50, and photos show dormitories filled with wall-to-wall beds in day rooms that slept 50 to a room. A building spree happened in the 1950s, with buildings designed to provide a custodial level of care in the most expedient manner. Many of the buildings still in existence on the grounds today were constructed during this time. | ||
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As late as the 1960s, one-piece coveralls were the uniform for all patients. Around that time, staff ‘on its own initiative’ started attempting to work with residents in small groups, or one on one, with planned activities or arts and crafts on a limited basis. The first teachers arrived at the facility in 1966, when Public Law 89-10 made provisions for providing teachers to the institutionalized handicapped. | As late as the 1960s, one-piece coveralls were the uniform for all patients. Around that time, staff ‘on its own initiative’ started attempting to work with residents in small groups, or one on one, with planned activities or arts and crafts on a limited basis. The first teachers arrived at the facility in 1966, when Public Law 89-10 made provisions for providing teachers to the institutionalized handicapped. | ||
− | In the 1970s an extensive renovation program was held, and the institution was renamed the Mt. Pleasant Regional Center for Developmental Disabilities. The renovations focused on making the facility less institutional and more homelike. The interiors were changed from large day rooms housing groups of 50 to apartments holding no more than 16 residents, with snack kitchens. Family dining over institutional feeding was introduced. The Special Education Law of 1974 required that all persons under age 26 who were capable of being transported must be able to attend school, and programs were created individually by interdisciplinary teams for those over age 26, for work activities or sheltered employment. Community-based residential living began to be emphasized at this time, allowing for group home setups in the surrounding neighborhoods. Admissions began to decline as the push for community integration began. | + | In the 1970s an extensive renovation program was held, and the institution was renamed the Mt. Pleasant Regional Center for Developmental Disabilities. The renovations focused on making the facility less institutional and more homelike. The interiors were changed from large day rooms housing groups of 50 to apartments holding no more than 16 residents, with snack kitchens. Family dining over institutional feeding was introduced. The Special Education Law of 1974 required that all persons under age 26 who were capable of being transported must be able to attend school, and programs were created individually by interdisciplinary teams for those over age 26, for work activities or sheltered employment. Community-based residential living began to be emphasized at this time, allowing for group home setups in the surrounding neighborhoods. Admissions began to decline as the push for community integration began." (1) The facility closed in 2008; the State of Michigan made the decision to close due to budget shortfalls at the state level and a dwindling number of patients being assisted at the location. |
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+ | Citations and References: | ||
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+ | (1) https://www.themorningsun.com/news/mt-pleasant-center-today-in-photos/article_f4106634-ef9e-5cb0-9297-cf188ea7ebf9.html | ||
==Images== | ==Images== | ||
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File:MImtpleasant1950.jpg | File:MImtpleasant1950.jpg | ||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
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[[Category:Michigan]] | [[Category:Michigan]] |