I drove up in 1970 in my dad's blue Chevy and I saw a place with 3,700 people in it that was

built for far, far fewer, and I saw things I will never forget.

She lived there most of her life.

After my grandmother died, I don't think my aunt saw the outside world ever again.

She's a faint memory to me now, almost a dream, but she was real and she

deserves better than she got. Just out of school and wanted to help people. It was one of

the worst experiences of my life, not because of the patience, but because of the cruelty inflicted on those poor people.

I tried to help as much as I could, but I was not prepared for the sight I answered.

Think of a ward of infants and children from the ages of six months to five years old.

There are 80 of them in metal cages.

They had to attend to them every day, all day.

These people were literally

injured by a patient.

He didn't mean to harm me, but my doctor and my husband persuaded me to quit.

Before I left, I was asked by the staff if I saw anything done by

other aides that was harmful to the patients. I told them that I had numerous

times. These patients were at the mercy of people who had no business being employed to take care of them. Last summer I visited Pennhurst State School and Hospital for a self-guided photography tour with a few friends.

We had about three hours to wander the grounds of the compound and we could

access buildings that were deemed structurally safe. Pennhurst shut down over 30 years ago in

1987 so you can just imagine what 30 years of abandonment and neglect did to the

Pennhurst campus.

At one point there were over 30 buildings which housed or supported residents and staff.

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