Freedom+Tour+Movie+Analysis

**Dr. Zephania Matanga** **July 29, 2010**
 * Movie Analysis: Freedom Tour** **by People First.**

** Introduction **

The movie //Freedom Tour// is inspirational as it relates to the resilience of people with disabilities to survive under harsh conditions. In addition, the movie reveals the continued oppression of people with disabilities through forced institutionalization and sterilization. It is also important to note that this movie was sponsored by a disabled organization called People First which is mostly constituted of people with mental disabilities. Therefore, the movie provides a voice to the institutionalized people which is often suppressed in the current literature on institutionalization.

In order to provide a proper context the analysis of the movie, I will begin by providing a synopsis of the movie. I will then discuss the plot line in this movie, which centers around a character named David who went around Canada interviewing people with disabilities who were institutionalized. He then proceed to identify the evidence of oppression, exhibited in this movie, which is the involuntary institutionalization and sterilization of persons with disabilities. This paper will conclude by discussing a social practice model predicated upon the principle of deinstitutionalization. That is, I will describe how I would advocate for clients such as those in the movie to be removed from institutions and placed in their respective communities. **Synopsis of the movie: The Plot line**

The plot line of the movie //Freedom Tour// is based on the main character David, who went throughout Canada documenting experiences of persons with disabilities who used to reside in institutions. The participants were drawn from the survivors of institutions in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Nova Scotia.

Three themes emerged from this movie: First, some of the characters made attempts to liberate themselves from institutional oppression. Second, professionals such as physicians and nurses exercised enormous power over their patients and supported the oppression of persons with disabilities through institutionalization. Third, the time some characters spent in these involuntary institutions was shocking.

**//Escape attempts//** Four participants, including the main character, discussed their unsuccessful attempts to escape from their institutions at length. For example, Kelvin attempted to run away from the institution because of its oppressive nature. However, as a result of the failed attempt, he was locked up for trying to run away. Similarly, David, after having experienced untold suffering, tried to escape nine times. David was frustrated by the lack of privacy in institutions where he said they lived like animals. People walked around bare naked and took their bowl moment anytime, anywhere. He advocates strongly for closing down these institutions. Confirming this assertion, Adrian, who was a resident of the Manitoba Development Centre (MDC), described it as a “damp, it was a hell hole. The people there were not treated well. They were treated like animals.” This is the reason why Adrian attempted to escape. Like Adrian, Kelvin, and David, Gerard tried to run away as well. One day, he boarded a train but developed a seizure; he fell down and broke his leg. They took him back and but he again attempted to run away when he was in a wheelchair. This is a demonstration of how he felt oppressed in this institution. According to Gerard “Institutions are nothing but a hell hole. No one should live like that.” As exhibited by this 2008 movie, there has been very little change in terms of how people with disabilities are treated. For example, according to Jongbloed, “ In the early part of the 20th century, the behaviour of people with mental illnesses and intellectual impairments primarily was seen as a threat to law and order, and such individuals were institutionalized to protect themselves and society (2003, p. 203 ). Therefore, it is surprising to see that people with disabilities are still being institutionalized against their will in this century.

**//The power of professionals over people with disabilities//** The most troubling aspect of institutionalization is that it was sanctioned by the government and the medical regime. For example, Jack was there because the doctor told his parents to put him in an institution because he was mentally impaired. More disturbingly, Trisha, the mother of a daughter who was a resident at MDC, caught nurses degrading her daughter red handed. One of them was literary sitting on her. To make matters worse, there was “no privacy, toilet with no walls and beds no halls. There was no proper separation between residents to have a sense of privacy.” She lamented that, “Institutions are not for people. People belong in the community.” The characters also talked about the oppressive nature of these institutions. For example Richard described the institution he attended as a “prison”. He was over worked and isolated from others as a form of punishment. Moreover, Kieth was taken to an institution he described as a school for the retards at the age of four. He was reared in this institution for a very long time.

According to Keith this institution was a very “rough place”. He witnessed a lot of people who died and were buried, but their parents or relatives were never informed. In addition, Sherry who attended the Valley View institution was making an effort to block “out bad things that happened there. They will never treat people good”. Merylin, who also went to a residential school concurred about the oppressive nature of these institutions. She was sexually abused at this institution.

**//Duration of time in institutions//** A common theme which emerged for the final three participants was the length of time they were institutionalized. For example, Shane lived in an institution for fifteen years. During these fifteen years, he was physically abused including beatings and unpaid labour. Wayne lived double the time of Shane’s stay in an institution. He lived in his institution for over 30 years.

Finally, John had the longest time in the institution; that is, 42 and half years. He was glad he got an opportunity to leave the place. He was beaten by the stuff for refusing to eat. Independent academic investigations corroborate these views. Based on a review of two hundred institutions for people with disabilities in the US, Canada and other countries, McGee (1987) stated that**:** “we have witnessed a pattern of punishment practices such as beatings, isolation, persistent administration of electric shock to parts of the body, the use of psychoactive drugs for chemical restraint, using helmets that emit irritating noise called white sound, masked helmets locked at the neck, persons tied like animals to metal bed frames, turn-of-century straitjacket, and noxious substances squirted in the face and eyes. These are some of the same techniques reported as torture in other nations “(p. 24-25). Moreover, Mullaly Bob (2007) stated that, “Oppression at the structural level refers to the means by which oppression is institutionalized in society. It consists of the ways that social institutions, laws, policies, and social processes and practices all work together primarily in favour of the dominant group at the expense of subordinate groups.” (p. 262)

Therefore, the experience of the participants in this movie are a testimony to how people with disabilities are treated in institutions.

**Analysis: Social justice**

The profiles and experiences of people with disabilities exhibited in this movie, initiate a discussion on one of the very painful social justice issues confronting Canada. This is particularly troubling because the people affected are some of the most vulnerable segments of our community. According to Dunn (2002) , “ In the history of Canada, various approaches have been utilized to addressing the needs of individuals with disabilities. First Nations people offered supports for people with disabilities within their bands in a collective fashion. Early European settlers provided services in the community for individuals with disabilities who were considered deserving, although many ended up in poorhouses or jails. By the mid-nineteenth century, people were placed in newly built permanent institutions which, over time, grew in size and specialization” (p. 223).

This treatment of persons with disabilities was mostly influenced by religious and scientific interpretations of disability. Historically, according to Covey (2005), religions such as Christianity had an influence on how people with disabilities, especially those with mental disabilities, were treated in the western world. For example, in the early days, traditional Christianity “viewed disability as the result of sin. This tradition punished, separated, and restricted people with disabilities. It barred them from full participation in the Church and its rituals” (Covey, 2005, p. 107). Such an approach justified the institutionalization of persons with disabilities. It is important to note that, “However, as Christianity developed, a second tradition emerged that saw people with disabilities as needing compassion and that God accepted everyone (Covey, 2005, p. 107).

Even under this new approach people with disabilities were treated as objects of charity rather than people with full citizenship. Apart from Christianity, medicine and psychology had an influence on shaping attitudes and treatment of persons with disabilities in the western world, including Canada. For instance, Gleeson (1999) stated that, “the medical explanations of disability informed law and institutional practice in Western countries until recent decades. The medical model alleges that disability is sourced in individual 'deficiencies' or physical 'abnormalities'. The medical approach is deeply conservative because it focuses on individual limitations rather than the deficiencies of society “(p. 11).

Furthermore, based on the medical conceptualization of disability in Canada, “ By the end of the 19th century there was pressure to build more institutions because these provided places in which to confine people with mental illnesses and intellectual impairments. Large provincial institutions served the function of asylums, housing senile older persons, those with intellectual impairments, mental illness, or syphilis” (Jongbloed, 2003, p. 204 ).

Moreover, Woodill (1992) articulate that, “The beginning of the twentieth century marked the rise of eugenics, a scientific approach to human reproduction which sought to have less fit" removed from the "human stock. The results are well known –incarceration of hundreds of thousands and involuntary sterilizations of the mentally retarded and their families in many countries including the United States and Canada" (p. 6).

As suggested by the above statements, religious and scientific interpretations of disability greatly influenced how the western societies, including Canada, treated persons with disabilities. What is more troubling is the fact that courts frequently upheld the institutionalization of the disabled on either the grounds of “protection of society” or “prevention of procreation”. For example, in 1927, the United States Supreme Court actually held that the involuntary sterilization and institutionalization of the disabled by the state authorities was constitutional to “prevent our being swamped with incompetence” and to “prevent those who are manifestly unfit from continuing their kind.” (Jaeger & Bowman, 2002, p. 5). This decision has never been overruled, even in the past twenty years. The involuntary sterilization and institutionalization of the disabled has persisted as an issue up to the present day. For example the current government of Manitoba has allocated forty million dollars to renovate the Manitoba Development Centre in Portage la Prairie “which was originally titled the “Home for Incurables” ( Jongbloed, 2003). Such an initiative was undertaken regardless of the strong objection from the disabled community. DeJong (1983) noted that the concept of the quality of life of persons with disabilities has been a preoccupation of professionals rather than the persons with disabilities themselves. This approach gave medical doctors and other stakeholders overriding powers in making decisions about the life and death of persons with disabilities. For example, Martinez (1990) articulated that, “Most of the people I have met who work in this field don't believe that I could have a good quality of life or that I could even live on my own. When I was little, the doctor told my parents that I would never be able to take care of myself and that they could put me away (p. 3).

**//Application of the Social Model//** If I had been given the opportunity to work with the clients in the movie, my practice would have been informed by the “ social model of disability, deinstitutionalisation and independent living philosophy” (Kelly, 2010 p. 103). As enunciated by Sapey, Stewart, and Donaldson (2005), “The social model of disability, which is a central principle of the disability movement, argues that the limitations faced by disabled people result not from their impairment, but from the social responses to impairment” (p. 498). While I acknowledge that biological impairments affect how an individual relates to his or her social environment, social disabilities have more adverse impacts since they stem from able-bodied people’s misunderstandings of individuals’ disabling conditions.

Therefore, if I were developing cases in this area, I would employ the independent living philosophy which is based on: “Basically the consumers … are in control of directing and managing all aspects of their care needs” (Kelly, 2010, p. 107). In fact, there are current government initiatives I could utilize in working with these kinds of clients. For example, some of the government interventions developed in the 1960s and 1970s, with the beginnings of deinstitutionalization, supported individuals with disabilities to move into the community (Dunn, 2002). So, I could work within these government initiatives to place these kinds of clients into the community.

More importantly, in 1966, Canada established the federal Canada Assistance Plan with the intent of creating a consistent national welfare apparatus and the extension of assistance to anyone who might need it, with need being the only criterion. Therefore, I could put together a comprehensive case program utilizing all these resources and place these clients into their communities with adequate supports. I believe with such supports in place, these clients would contribute meaningfully to our society because my assumptions about them is that they are capable people and if only they coud be provided with appropriate supports, they could meaningfully contribute to society.

** Conclusion **

As demonstrated above, this paper provided an analysis of the movie entitled //Freedom Tour//, which was sponsored by the disabled organization called People First. During the analysis, a synopsis of the plot of the movie was provided. The plot centred on sixteen individuals with disabilities who were institutionalized against their will. It then proceeded to identify the oppression which is instituted in form of the involuntary institutionalization and sterilization of persons with disabilities. Finally, the paper discussed how I would utilize the social model to advance the practice of deinstitutionalization for such individuals in the Canadian context. More importantly, the use of current government initiatives to build supporting networks that will integrate these clients fully into the society was discussed.

**References**

Covey, C. H. (2005). Western Christianity’s two historical treatments of people with disabilities or mental illness. //The Social Science Journal//, 42, 107–114.

DeJong, G. (1983). Defining and implementing the independent living concept. In // Independent Living for Physically Disabled People // (Crewe & Zola, Eds.), 4–27.

Dunn, P. (2002) The evolution of government independent living policies and  programmes for Canadians with disabilities. //International Journal of// // Rehabilitation Research ////, // 25

Jaeger P.T. & Bowman, S. (2002). //Disability Matters: Legal and pedagogical issues of disability in education//. Greenwood Publishing group INC Gleeson, B. (1999). Beyond goodwill: The materialist view of disability. //Social Alternatives,// 18(1), 11-17.

Jongbloed, L. (2003) Disability policy in Canada: An overview. //Journal of Disability// // Policy Studies //, 13(4).

Kelly, C. (2010). The role of mandates/philosophies in shaping interactions between disabled people and their support providers. Disability and Society, 25(1). 103-120.

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Mullaly, B. (2007). //The New Structural Social Work// (3rd. Ed.). Don Mills, Ontario Oxford University Press Canada.

Sapey, B., Stewart, J., & Donaldson, G. (2005). Increases in wheelchair use and perceptions of disablement. //Disability & Society, 20//(5), 489-505.

Woodill, G. (1992). //Critical Issues in Special Education.// Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.