Editorial: Fair game, but not at everyone’s expense

We’ve long chronicled the challenges and triumphs of those who struggle with mental or physical issues, young and old, born with hurdles to overcome or developing them through accidents or old age. When the since-closed White Haven Center came under scrutiny for state cost-cutting reasons in 2001, family members of residents in the facility told us why they wanted what it offered: a home for those grappling with severe intellectual disabilities. One mother lamented her daughter’s frequent seizures and inability to recognize danger, requiring 24-hour-a-day care. A sister spoke of how her brother was cared for at home until he got too big to handle in bursts of violence. “My brother’s strong, but he has the mind of a 3-year-old.” We chronicled the nearly three months of work behind a Hazleton Christmas show starring clients at United Rehabilitation Services (also closed), a place that helped people with a wide range of mental health and learning problems.

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