Utah State Developmental Center: We've Come a Long Way
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

The Utah State Training School (USTS), as it was called, gave Utah the distinction of being the 46th state to build an institution for what were termed feeble-minded citizens. This was the moral hygiene period in United States history and many organizations in Utah pushed for an institution. Alice's father, Ray, had limited options for his 12-year-old daughter, who had been blind since birth and had a cognitive delay that prevented her from attending public schools. She lived at the training school in American Fork for 50 years (1935-1985). Frank remembers the label of "slow learner" that kept him out of regular classes and the subsequent eight years he spent at the training school. Alice and Frank were among hundreds of individuals in Utah with developmental disabilities who were largely unseen by the world beyond the institution. Over the years, advocacy and shifting perspectives helped Alice and Frank, along with many others, integrate into the larger community, where they flourished outside of institutional constraints. The Utah State Developmental Center (as it is now known) remains operational, providing services and accommodations that have evolved over the past century of its existence. This lecture will cover a trajectory of time in the treatment of people with disabilities and discuss how the Utah State Developmental Center and people in the community are currently meeting the needs of everyone.