Willowbrook: Systems Change Through Court-Ordered Reform

Willowbrook: A Retrospective on Systems Change

Our Spring 2022 Disability Studies lecture series will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Exposé of Willowbrook State School and its influence in the systems change for the field. This two-part lecture series will examine systems change from two different vantage points.

The Disability Studies Program is honored to feature Clarence J. Sundram, JD, for the second part of our special two-part lectures this spring. Mr. Sundram is a nationally recognized expert on conditions in institutions and community programs for persons with mental disabilities, and he currently serves as the Independent Monitor for the O’Toole v. Cuomo case involving adult homes in New York City.  Mr. Sundram is uniquely qualified to shed insights on systems change through court ordered reform. In this lecture, he will discuss the life cycle of class action lawsuits like Willowbrook, the role of a Special Master or Court Monitor, and the barriers to swift implementation that arise during the course of changing large-scale governmental systems of care.