From Lives Apart to Together - 05 - Lillian Dansby

From Lives Apart to Lives Together is an oral history project that has been capturing the stories of former residents of Forest Haven, an institution created by Congress and operated by the District of Columbia from 1925 to 1991. It was where D.C. residents with intellectual disabilities were sent to live lives apart and separate from the community.
In the late 1970s, there was a constitutional class-action lawsuit brought against D.C. regarding the abuse, neglect, and deaths of individuals living at Forest Haven. An agreement was made in 1978 to close Forest Haven and relocate residents. Forest Haven officially closed in 1991. To this day, nearly 400 individuals are buried there.
This video project features the voices of D.C. residents telling their own stories about what it was like to live at Forest Haven. It highlights their journeys from isolation to inclusion.
This video is the personal story of Lillian Dansby, former Forest Haven resident.