Pennhurst Asylum was never actually an asylum. It was previously Pennhurst State School and Hospital, one of the most notoriously harmful institutions for people with disabilities. Today, it’s the site of a haunted Halloween attraction and paranormal tours, despite some strong opposition. What happened there, and how it closed, has shaped disability rights and advocacy today. Sabrina Boyd-Surka visits Pennhurst and talks to disability advocates and historians to get the real story behind these abandoned walls.

Links referenced in this episode:
Pennhurst Memorial & Preservation Alliance
Bill Baldini’s documentary series, “Suffer the Little Children”
Dennis Downey’s book, “Pennhurst and the Struggle for Disability Rights”
Speaking for Ourselves self-advocacy group

Follow us on Twitter @TheJawncast.

Pennhurst Asylum was never actually an asylum. It was previously Pennhurst State School and Hospital, one of the most notoriously harmful institutions for people with disabilities. Today, it’s the site of a haunted Halloween attraction and paranormal tours, despite some strong opposition. What happened there, and how it closed, has shaped disability rights and advocacy today. <a href="http://twitter.com/sabrinakayab" data-stringify-link="http://twitter.com/sabrinakayab" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Sabrina Boyd-Surka</a> visits Pennhurst and talks to disability advocates and historians to get the real story behind these abandoned walls.
Links referenced in this episode:
<ul data-stringify-type="unordered-list" data-indent="0" data-border="0">
<li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0"><a href="http://www.preservepennhurst.org/" data-stringify-link="http://www.preservepennhurst.org/" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Pennhurst Memorial &amp; Preservation Alliance</a></li>
<li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0">Bill Baldini’s documentary series, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIepqvHii-M" data-stringify-link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIepqvHii-M" data-sk="tooltip_parent">“Suffer the Little Children”</a></li>
<li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0">Dennis Downey’s book, <a href="https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-08603-3.html" data-stringify-link="https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-08603-3.html" data-sk="tooltip_parent">“Pennhurst and the Struggle for Disability Rights”</a></li>
<li data-stringify-indent="0" data-stringify-border="0"><a href="https://speaking.org/" data-stringify-link="https://speaking.org/" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Speaking for Ourselves</a> self-advocacy group</li>
</ul>
Follow us on Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/thejawncast" data-stringify-link="http://twitter.com/thejawncast" data-sk="tooltip_parent">@TheJawncast</a>.

Unique and unexpected stories out of Philadelphia. Made here, for everyone. Hosted and produced by Brian Seltzer and Sabrina Boyd-Surka.

Unique and unexpected stories out of Philadelphia. Made here, for everyone. Hosted and produced by Brian Seltzer and Sabrina Boyd-Surka.

Advertisement