I Am A Person

In 1982, Judge Bruce Van Sickle issued a series of orders that changed how North Dakota cares for its developmentally disabled citizens. Thousands of children and adults left the overcrowded institutions in San Haven and Grafton to find homes in communities across the state. Thirty years later, Prairie Public is reviewing the historical context and investigating the outcome of that reformation. I Am A Person talks with the people who have been most affected by the change—to explore what is possible when people with developmental disabilities are provided with the care they need to live full and happy lives, and to build awareness about how they contribute to their communities through both their work and social capital.

Production funding is provided by the North Dakota Association of Community Providers through a grant from the North Dakota State Council on Developmental Disabilities