September 7, 2023

Sneak Peek: Her family had always kept her aunt a secret. She set out to uncover the truth.

00:02:00

Summary

Main Topic: The Dark History of Institutionalizing People with Disabilities

Key Points:

Jennifer Sr., a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, shares her family's story of institutionalizing her aunt Adele, who was born with an intellectual disability in 1951.
Adele was separated from her family at a young age and lived most of her life in an institution.
Jennifer Sr. grew up not knowing much about her aunt, but after learning the truth, she felt compelled to understand Adele's life story.
Through her research, Jennifer Sr. uncovered the broader history of institutionalizing people with disabilities and its devastating impact on families.
Her article in The Atlantic explores the themes of regret, reconnection, and reimagining what Adele's life might have looked like if she had been born today.

Participants: Jennifer Sr., a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and the host of Apple News In Conversation (though the host is not explicitly named in the provided text).

Takeaways:

The history of institutionalizing people with disabilities is marked by regret and harm inflicted on families.

Show Notes

Growing up, Jennifer Senior thought her mom was an only child. But when she was 12 years old, she learned her mom had a sister, named Adele, who was institutionalized as a baby. Adele had spent almost her entire life separated from her family. Decades later, in 2021, Senior reconnected with her aunt and uncovered the dark history of institutionalizing children with intellectual disabilities. Senior wrote about her aunt’s story in the Atlantic and spoke with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu about her experience. Listen to the full interview on Apple Podcasts.

Transcript

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Shumita Basu: On this week's episode of Apple News In Conversation, we're talking about the dark history of institutionalizing people with disabilities.

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Jennifer Senior: When I was 12 years old, my mom finally told me the truth about our family. She wasn't, in fact, an only child. She had a sister, a younger sister, named Adele.

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Shumita Basu: I was overwhelmed. I mean, at one point I started crying. Because I think I also thought in some way, wait, like, I have an aunt? Like, I want to know who my aunt is.

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Jennifer Senior: Jennifer learned that her aunt Adele had been born in 1951 with an intellectual disability and had been institutionalized before her second birthday. She had lived almost her entire life separated from her family.

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Shumita Basu: I remember being made unbelievably sad by this fact and grasping immediately that this couldn't have been easy for my mother or my grandparents.

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Jennifer Senior: Jennifer grew up not knowing much else about her aunt Adele, aside from a single visit she and her mom paid her in the 90s. But a few years ago, Jennifer decided she wanted to know more. She needed to know to understand her aunt's life story.

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Shumita Basu: And what she learned helped piece together the picture of not just her family tree, but the broader history of institutionalizing people with disabilities. And how it ultimately harmed so many families.

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Jennifer Senior: Jennifer Sr. is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and she wrote this story about her aunt's life for The Atlantic. It's a deeply moving piece about regrets, reconnection, and reimagining what Adele's life might have looked like if she'd been born today under very different circumstances.

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Shumita Basu: To hear my full interview with Jennifer Sr., check out Apple News In Conversation in the Podcasts app.