Tonight's show is about a darker period in Ontario's history when disabled children, or those with intellectual disabilities or mental illness, were sent to live in institutions where they could be cared for by medical staff. Parents thought they were doing the right thing. It was what was done, for the child and for the family. No one questioned these directives, people continued to live in shame and with the stigma of such conditions.

A lot has happened since then. Many activist parents spoke out during the 1950's and 1960's and into the 1970's when institutions opened their doors and people started to leave in big numbers. Parents held on to their children and eventually -- though we still struggle with this -- supports were offered in the community.

At the forefront of this movement were the parents who said they would not send their children to live out their lives in an institution -- these early pioneers, who proved to the rest of us, that if done properly, life on the outside would be much better. Today these people are aging -- often in the eighties and nineties. They fear for their children -- there is no where else for them to go, once mom and dad pass away. It's a crisis for many families. There is a shortage of housing for these adults. 

Tonight w'll discuss this issue and hopefully offer some assistance. I hope you can watch.