STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Advocates for those with developmental disabilities gathered late last week at the College of Staten Island to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Willowbrook consent decree, a monumental milestone that led to the end of horrific warehousing of people with developmental disabilities in New York state.

At “The Evolution of Inclusion,” event, state and local leaders, together with local advocates for the people with developmental disabilities, reflected on lessons learned from the history and closing of the borough’s Willowbrook State School at a time when the concept of inclusion wasn’t yet on the world’s radar.

Yet the event wasn’t an occasion to rest on laurels, said each of those who spoke, including Geraldo Rivera, the TV journalist whose expose brought the horrors of the school to national attention.

They all stressed that the future of those with severe disabilities depends on continued vigilance and funding today.

“Now, more than ever, we will not let anyone, and I mean, anyone forget or erase the history of the Willowbrook State School,” said Kim Hill Ridley, the first-ever chief disability officer for New York state, pointing to her position as evidence of the commitment of Gov. Kathy Hochul to ensuring inclusion for those with disabilities.

Michael Cusick, president and CEO of the Staten Island Economic Development Corp. and former New York state assemblymember, also thanked Hochul, Ridley, and Willow Baer, commissioner of the state Office of People With Disabilities.

“We have to remind people, every day, of the atrocities that took place at Willowbrook,” he said. “There’s so many people in this room who have dedicated their lives to make sure that we follow that decree … that people with developmental disabilities are given the dignity they deserve. This is a battle of inclusion. We still have to protect and move forward protecting our family, our friends, our neighbors with developmental disabilities.”

The 1975 decree, one of the first official actions taken by Gov. Hugh Carey, put guidelines into place, ultimately freeing 6,000 vulnerable residents from abuse and neglect in the country’s largest institution for people with developmental disabilities — located where the college’s campus now stands.

The decree was a catalyst for the group home movement, with the goal of placing those with developmental disabilities in the least restrictive environment possible in their own communities. The school closed for good in 1987 by Gov. Mario Cuomo.

But there is work yet to be done, Erik Geizer, CEO of The Arc New York, told the Advance/SILive.com

“We have to remember where we came from,” he said. “We need to know that so we don’t go backwards. We’re at a precarious time right now with funding, staffing, programs are consolidating and it’s hard to run programs. We’re at a time now where we have to be hypervigilant, and events like this bring it all home.”

The event was organized by community advocates, including Diane Buglioli, co-founder and board member of A Very Special Place. Buglioli is a former employee of the Willowbrook State School who was named an Advance Woman of Achievement for her efforts to create the Willowbrook Mile, a path on the CSI campus with stops highlighting 12 milestones in the fight to close the Willowbrook State School.

Geizer, too, was on the organizing committee, as was Kate Geurin, director of communications and public relations for The Arc New York; Kim Hill Ridley, chief disability officer for New York state and Kate Jerian, chief strategy officer for The Arc New York.

In 1971, Staten Island Advance reporter Jane Kurtin and photographer Eric Aerts first broke the story of the squalid conditions and deplorable abuse taking place at the Willowbrook State School, and she documented these horrors, leading to drastic changes over time in the way people with developmental disabilities are treated in the U.S.

The Advance reports caught the attention of Geraldo Rivera, whose own reporting for ABC-TV brought national attention to the school’s overcrowding, cruelty and unethical medical trials.

Unwavering advocates

Inaugural award recipients Bernard Carabello and Willie Mae Goodman garnered thunderous applause and brought the crowd of nearly 250 to its feet.

Goodman, 93, was presented with the Family Advocacy Award by Jose Rivera, chief operating officer of Cerebral Palsy of Nassau County. The award recognizes those who are their loved-ones’ unwavering advocates.

Goodman’s daughter was a resident of the state school and her trailblazing advocacy on her daughter’s behalf led to the legal injunction preventing children from returning to Willowbrook.

“All of us have a disability,” said Goodman, noting that none of us are perfect. “Everybody is somebody. All of our kids are somebody. These kids are angels. They didn’t ask to be born this way and it’s up to all of us to care for those who cannot take care of themselves. It’s an obligation.”

Carabello, who has cerebral palsy and lived for 18 years in atrocious conditions at the school, becoming nationally known after his interview with Geraldo Rivera, was presented with the inaugural Bernard Carabello Self-Advocacy Award, which recognizes a self advocate who embodies the determination of community inclusion for all people with developmental disabilities.

“He sounded the alarm that Willowbrook was not a place for those we love‚” said Cathy Loquercio as she presented his award.

Carabello holds a doctorate degree from CSI.

“I’m baaaaak,” Carabello mused, before admitting that confronting those outside of the school was difficult, as he often faced mockery. “I had to get over it,” he said. “People needed to be educated and if I had to do it again, I would.”

Carabello and Geraldo Rivera traded playful, unscripted barbs on stage as Geraldo Rivera addressed the crowd, with the journalist pointing out Carabello’s potential and abilities.

“It takes more intellect to crack a joke than it does to make a speech, and he’s constantly ribbing me‚” the journalist said.

“It’s very touching every time Bernard and I return to this property,” the television reporter said. “It brings back such emotions. It is amazing. We are the living link to the grim old days, to the nightmare, when everything was harmful and covered up.”

Dr. Timothy Lynch thanked Geizer as he announced that The Arc of New York would officially transfer to CSI its collection of archives, 75 years of documents and photos of the Willowbrook School’s history.

“It is a profound symbol,” Lynch said, noting that CSI is the perfect home for the collection.

‘The Evolution of Inclusion’

Later in the program, influential advocates for those with developmental disabilities participated in a panel discussion, and many in attendance also viewed the full documentary: “The Path Forward: Remembering Willowbrook.”

Panelists included Chester Finn, a family advocate at the New York State Office for Persons with Developmental Disabilities; Geizer, Beth Haroules, lead counsel in the Willowbrook class action litigation, who handles a broad variety of civil rights and civil liberties issues; Jason Harr, associate executive director for On Your Mark, Inc. and chairman of the Staten Island Developmental Disabilities Council; and Henry Kennedy, a parent of a woman with an intellectual disability who has served on numerous boards and committees that address the needs of those with disabilities.

Also participating in the panel were Willowbrook Attorney Clarence Sundram, a nationally recognized expert on conditions in institutions and community programs for persons with developmental disabilities.

It was moderated by BJ Stasio, a self-advocate and Self Advocacy Association of New York State president who has been involved in advocacy and leadership for more than 20 years.

Several people also remained after the program to walk the Willowbrook Mile.

© 2025 Staten Island Advance
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC