Summary: 

“We Can’t Go Back” is a statement that Ricardo Thornton made in front of the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. He starts off by explaining his own personal history with institutions for people with mental disabilities, and he goes on to focus his argument onto the detriment that this standard created. He explains that people wouldn’t treat him with respect, people believed that he would never have a life worth living, how people prevented him from living his own independent life, and controlled him. He then goes on to explain how, upon leaving the institution, he still faced similar issues in group homes, but that over time, with support from his community, he was able to learn and gain independence and reclaim his own life. He now lives with his wife Donna, who he also met in a group home, and they have a son, who also has grandkids. They are both financially stable and have had successful careers, but that is only through the support he received from his community and the tools that he was given to find this success, that he was able to achieve any of this. He ends the statement with a call to end institutions, and to support disabled people by protecting them from such places.

Quotes:

“I’ve seen people with severe disabilities who have grown and accomplished great things given the right support.” (Thornton 87)

“The time needs to be over for people to be sent to institutions because there aren’t opportunities in the community or because people think it’s cheaper or more protected.” (Thornton 88)

“The one things that is special about me is that people believed in me and in my potential to learn in spite of my disability, and they took the time to help me learn.” (Thornton 89)

Reflection:

One of the more powerful themes of this statement is how important community is and how external support systems are needed to solidify internal support systems. It is very clear that Thornton believes that anyone could achieve a great life if given the right tools and support, and he uses evidence from his own life and experiences to support this claim. I really like how he went about this because it directly contrasts the “support” that he received at institutions, it further shows to his audience how harmful institutions are, especially since a lot of his personal story has an underlying current of recovering from such an upbringing. I really like how he orchestrates his argument, it leaves little room for doubt on the harm of institutions. It does a really good job at the end to call the audience to action, to end institutions and forcing people against their will into programs, but to protect disabled people from this.