Photo: Lilacs Ward, Borocourt Hospital, copyright Roger A Smith and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence. 

Many of the first members of L'Arche had been residents in institutions and long-stay hospitals before they joined our Communities. The closure of these institutions was a major milestone in the social history of learning disability.

New assistants and employees learn this history when they start supporting people with learning disabilities in L'Arche. Their training includes this video, with powerful testimonies from a previous generation of L’Arche assistants. They warn how, although the institutions themselves may be closed, the institutional mindset remains an ever-present danger today.

The video contains archive footage from inside a long-stay hospital, courtesy of Concord Media, which some viewers may find distressing.