Complaints and Inquiries [RESTRICTED], 1975-1980
Restricted- Extent:
- 2.6 cubic ft.
- Scope and content:
-
This series consists of 2.5 cubic feet of files related to complaints and inquiries received and investigated by the Willowbrook Review Panel. Many of these complaints came from parents or guardians of Willowbrook class members, expressing concern about conditions at facilities or in community placements. Other complaints came from facility employees, claiming that they had observed disregard for the mandates of the Consent Decree while on the job. There are also records of general inquiries about the Review Panel and the Consent Decree from students, the news media, and others.
Most of the material is organized chronologically, with each month's folder containing a summary of complaints and inquiries as well as supporting documents, mostly correspondence. However, there are also a few files for individual facilities. There is extensive documentation of the case of Sharon Solnica, including many transcripts from Board of Education hearings. Sharon's parents sought to have her educated at the Institute for Applied Human Dynamics while in residence at the Bernard Fineson Developmental Center (BFDC). Fineson staff members argued that the hour-long bus ride from BFDC to the Institute was detrimental to Sharon's progress. Also included in this series are files related to a complaint made by a Willowbrook staff member, Pricilla Sarino, to the Review Panel. Sarino provided the Panel with several hundred pages of Willowbrook internal memoranda and other documents to support her complaint. The series is restricted because it contains information about specific named residents of Willowbrook and other state developmental centers.
- Arrangement:
- Arranged alphabetically and chronologically.
Contents
Using these materials
- Access:
- The archives are open to the public and anyone is welcome to visit and view the collections.
- Restrictions:
- Must consult archivist before viewing this material.
- Collection restrictions:
- The Willowbrook Review Panel was a Federal monitoring group established by the U.S. District Court in 1975 and was dismissed from its duties in 1987. The records were house at the American Civil Liberties Union office until cleared by the National Archives for restricted access in 2002. Portions of series 1-10 are restricted due to the personal information in the records. Researchers must complete a non-disclosure form before gaining access and reproductions are not permitted. Counsel for the plantiffs or members of the Review Panel may continue to have access to the records without restriction.
- Collection terms of access:
- The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of copyright. Whenever possible, the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives will provide information about copyright owners and other restrictions, but the legal determination ultimately rests with the researcher. Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be discussed with the Head of Special Collections and Archives.