I couldn’t stop looking at these photos. These aren’t scenes from a horror movie. This is part of our history. For decades, many people with intellectual and developmental disabilities were institutionalized. Some were neglected, restrained, isolated, and treated as if their lives mattered less. Families were often told their children would never learn, never communicate, and would be better off hidden away. We know now that they deserved so much more. That’s why the recent DOJ opinion has so many disability families concerned. The opinion argues that federal disability laws do not require states to provide community-based services in the way many advocates have understood them for decades. It does not order institutions to reopen, but many fear it could weaken protections that help people with disabilities live in their homes and communities rather than in more restrictive settings. As an autism mom, these images don’t just make me sad. They remind me why I advocate. Because my children are not problems to be hidden. They are not burdens to be tucked away. They are human beings deserving of love, opportunities, support, and belonging. History isn’t something we study and forget. It’s something we remember so we never repeat it. 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦, 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝. 💙 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧, 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐯𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐮𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞. 𝐖𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝.