Summary Of The Documentary Lost In Laconia

In the United States there are many laws protecting the rights and freedom of individuals with disabilities. Many of these laws state that a person with any type of disability should be granted the same treatment and services as if a person who does not have a disability, if the person needs extra services, they should be guaranteed these accommodations. Also, these individuals are considered to be active members of our community and they do not have any boundaries of where they are allowed to go. However, these laws and rights were not always in place and the treatment of people with disabilities were much different in the past. In the Documentary lost in Laconia it gives viewers and idea of what the treatment use to be for these certain individuals.
In the Documentary “Lost in Laconia,” it features an old state school for
These state schools were better known as institutions and at one time there were several of these institutions all over the country, but this particular State school was located in Laconia, New Hampshire. In this documentary it explains the treatment that these individuals endured while attending this school and the factors that led up to the type of treatment they got. All the residents, which were in all different age groups, were placed in these establishment not under their own free will. While they were here they were treated with abusive and neglectful care.
The reason they had this care is because in the early to mid-1900’s society considered these individuals as a danger to the society and were labeled feebleminded. Many thought these individual were incapable of learning and feeling. Doctors told parents, there was no hope of these individuals to live