Never Going Back Gord Ferguson Analysis

We are going to examine the book Never going back by Gord Ferguson. He was sent to Smith Falls hospital at the age of 10 and was institutionalized until the age of 26. Gord Freguson has played a big role in advocacy for diabled people.

The first concept I am going to discuss is institutions from week 5 unit 3 part 3. In the early 1800's until institutions were closed a lot of disabled people were sent there. Gord Ferguson lived at the Rideau Regional centre in Smith Falls for 16 years. These people were isolated from everyone family, friends communities and labeled as idiots or retarded. I grew up in a time of inclusion until starting this course I had no knowledge of institutions. It taught me about the abuse and neglect these people experienced.
The parent movement was important in disability history. Laws were passed to enforce the rights of disabled people along with providing services to adults and children with disabilities in order to start closing insituations and allowing the people to come back home. Gord was released in 1974 after securing a job at the Skyline hotel in Brockville he was able to get a job and a drivers license along with marrying his wife Donna. He later became a big advocate in Ontario for people with disabilities the parent movement along with some protest gave Gord the freedom to have the same opportunities as everyone else when he left the insituation in the 70s. He soon started his work on advocacy. He got involved in many projects including People First Brockville. Before starting this course I had never heard of the Parent movement, I have gained knowledge from both the course material and Gord Freguson about advocacy without it I don't belive people with disabilties would have the same rights we do
Shortly after the parent movement insituations were closing their doors and being exposed for the cruel treatment that the patients had received. He talks about still having nightmares from his time spent at Rideau Regional centre with the abuse he endured there were many nights that the patients were used as entertainment and would be encouraged to fight each other. Shortly after he was released from the Rideau centre he helped closed it down. The province of Ontario formally apologized to residents. That was Gord Ferguson's biggest achievement other than marrying his wife Donna. He later became involved in People First Branch in Brockville.

The fourth concept I am going to discuss is week 6 eugenics movement. The eugenics movement was about sterilizing or eliminating the human race with defects. It aims at improving the genetic quality of a group of individuals. Gord Ferguson became a big advocate for people with disabilities and about the many issues affecting people who have a disability. He has been critical part of advocating for people's rights against receiving aborations, euthanasia and sterilization of women against their will. In some way Eugenics is still happening today parents are choosing to sterilize their children,