Dad never gave up. One would think that after so many years, he would. But he must have thought there was hope of some kind. The particulars escape me, but I remember that he always played with Michael and he always wanted to visit him at Willowbrook. When he was placed in a group home, […]
At Mike’s home, the people who took care of him taught him to do a ‘high five’. Michael liked to hold his other hand over his ear. Was he listening to something? Was it a habit? I suppose that he felt most comfortable that way. One of his housemates used to put his arm behind […]
My Vacation with Michael – Part 2 The following was taken from notes I made at the time of my outing with Michael. I got permission from his group home manager to accompany him on a vacation with other clients from group homes in the area. We went from Queens, NY to somewhere in Pennsylvania. […]
The following was taken from notes I made when I went on a trip with my brother Michael. I got permission from his group home manager to accompany him on a vacation with other clients from group homes in his area. We were going from Queens, New York to somewhere in Pennsylvania. Documenting the trip […]
I am proud of this portrait. I took this picture at Michael’s school where they brought him from his group home to attend a day program. Mike is profoundly retarded, nonverbal and autistic. I was given permission by the school administration to shadow him and take his picture, which I did on several occasions. On […]
Happy Birthday Mom. You are the best! You were strong when we were growing up. Even in the era of the ‘refrigerator mother’, you said, “I never felt guilty about Michael and you shouldn’t either.” Other parents had children like Michael and you worked with them to start a support network – quite something in […]
In looking at the photographs, I ask myself if I remember what happened at the time or am I picking up cues from the pictures and inferring what must have happened? I do know, that in this first picture, Michael is reaching for me, though it may look like he’s fending me off. Michael liked […]
[Note: part of this post was excerpted and posted previously. ] My aim in this post is to explore the depiction of mental disorders and disabilities in the medium of photography and my personal experience in wrestling with this. According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, a disorder is an abnormal physical or mental condition and […]
Imagine that you had an unmanageable child: a child who didn’t understand anything, who sucked up all the care you could give, who seldom responded and did so only after you expended maximal effort. Suppose you had other children. You could not afford private care. If you were offered a solution, would you take it? Suppose there […]
This is an important picture to me. I took this was at his 40th birthday party. It wouldn’t win any prizes, but it showed me something that I always sought from my older brother: attention. The fact that Michael has never spoken or seemed to acknowledge me probably explains this craving. My quest for his attention was […]
