131 Comments Posted by StareGirl

I used to work near a building like yours, Bob. The elevator was haunted. Although a key was needed it would go from the first floor, open up and then take you to the third floor without a key. The third floor, the old dormitories, were haunted so badly the nuns closed it up to regular foot traffic.

Some of the MR teens I worked with would say the elevator was run by the "elevator" man. And many of the boys would like to go to play up at the third floor with "Tony". Only, there was no "Tony" that lived on the property.

I've worked with children who's homelife was jsut as bad if not worse myself. MR children who were sexually abuses by several relatives, for example. Or another who was locked in a closet for days because he was psychotic as well as MR.

BTW, I worked there in the 80s and early 90's.

Lynne-Where I worked some children came in at age 8. We attempted to prepare them to live in group housing or shared apartments by age 21. Sadly only a little over half were ever able to acheive that goal.

To expect a parent or parents to take physical abuse, watch him 24.7 without a break etc is not always possible. What can be possible to to find a placement where the child will be treated correctly, ethically and with love.

Places that do not take care of the needs of a child are never ever okay and simply put more guilt on the parents who have to make the hardest decision of their own lives.

I used to ride a similar bike (had a squarer seat than this one). It was a friend of mines, since I would never be allowed to ride a boys bike at my house!

These pictures often remind me that but for the grace of god goes I...

Now you all have me putting on my copy of the "The Wall" before I start to view this gallery.

Wow, I love both of your takes. They both show such different feelings from the same place.

It just shows how much photography really is a work of art as the impressions of the person behind the camera influence the end product.

Thank you for sharing beastie

I worked in a home for MR teenagers and the adminstration building (former dorms) had bathrooms with notes up like this. They also had toliets like the previous photo. The building was about a 100 years old but was used until the 80s as the main home. They then built cottages for the residents.

Lynne, i know of what you speak. Sometimes they were still called "residents" although the legal term was also "clients" which is what the staff called them. The older nuns would still use "residents" however, remembering when they shared the main building with them. No matter what, they still are my kids and I see some of them on the public bus now that they have been placed in group homes. Its a good feeling knowing you have made a difference in their lives.

I hate to think of what that light has seen.

Something about the lines running down the roof and the red of the bricks just scream "pain" to me. I can almost feel the patients in this picture.

That modern Exit sign just doesn't quite fit in, making this picture evn more haunted.