I graduated in May of 1971 with a degree in sociology and history. I had no plans for my future. My draft lottery number was 350 so I missed that “opportunity”. I was working at the ambulance service when I heard that there was a social worker position open at the Enid State School. I will try to briefly describe what that institution was like. It’s important to recognize how far we have come in the last 50 years, in the worlds of developmental disabilities and mental health.
Enid State School sat on a square mile of prime farmland just north of Enid. There were over 1450 residents who called it home and over 1000 employees. It was in every way an institution. There was a large farming operation there, complete with dairy and livestock. At the time, believe it or not, it was considered to be a place of compassionate care. It was a self contained world.
I will heretofore refer to it as ESS. ESS was broken down into five levels. Each level was to care for a certain segment of the population. Level Five had the highest functioning individuals and each level became more challenging the lower the number . The social worker position I was applying for was in the male section of level five. I got the job and started that summer. I will never forget my first conversation with the lead social worker, a woman named Ernestine. I remember the very wise counsel she gave the 22 year old rookie. “Mark, never forget that no matter how different these people are, they are still more like you are than they are different”. This truth has served me way beyond my one year social work stint.
I was basically responsible for the oversight of the lives of nearly 150 humans. I decided a whole lot about their lives, from where they worked, to “punishments” for all sorts of institutional transgressions. It was a very demanding job both mentally and emotionally. My self awareness grew exponentially. I developed some friendships beyond college and learned about functioning as part of a team. I also began to realize how so many humans were dealt cards that seemed blatantly unfair.
Not everything about institutional life was hard and difficult. There was a deep sense of belonging and community. Granted, in retrospect, institutions were in many ways dehumanizing but there was no happier place on earth than Christmas at ESS Certainly those of us who worked there knew there must be a better way. In a future blog I will address how transformative change came.
Thanks again, Ernestine, for the best advice I have ever received. It shaped me in more ways than being a social worker. We have something to learn about ourselves from every person we connect with.
IQ scores don’t measure the heart.
Onward and Upward,
Mark
Lyfting Me Up 