Between 1908 and 1987, more than 10,500 Pennsylvanians with developmental disabilities lived at Pennhurst State School & Hospital. Public controversy over the inhumane treatment of residents and two decades of complex litigation, including three arguments before the US Supreme Court, led to the institution’s closure. Ground-breaking advocacy and new public policy, including transition to community-based living, made Pennhurst a milestone in the disabilities civil rights movement.
