The Arc of Madison Cortland and Cazenovia College are hosting a screening of Where’s Molly? Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, at 5 p.m. at the Catherine Cummings Theatre located at 16 Lincklaen St. on the Cazenovia College campus. This documentary is a poignant story about institutions, the decisions parents of disabled children were faced with, and a dark time in America’s history.
“What happened to Molly?” is a question by which Jeff Daly was plagued as a child. He had a younger sister named Molly; one day she vanished and his parents told him to forget about her. At the tender age of 6, that was exactly what he did until decades later when he found out the truth about Molly. In order to keep up appearances, she was sent to an institution based on the recommendation from a doctor.
Daly was left to wonder and mourn the loss of his sister for years following until their emotional reunion.
A panel discussion will follow the film screening and will be facilitated by Professor Maureen Louis. Featured on the panel are Michael Kennedy, former resident of Rome Developmental Center and author of My Life in Institutions and My Way Out; Robin Collins, former employee at Syracuse Developmental Center and current trainer at The Arc of Madison Cortland; Dan Flannigan, Central Region coordinator at SANYS; and Professor Mary Handley.
Collins is hopeful that the event will raise awareness and prevent history from repeating itself.
“Based on my experience and what I’ve learned working in the field, it is my strong belief that we must keep teaching disability history so people will know how it was and fight to ensure we never go back to those times,” Collins said.
The event is free and is open to the public. For more information, contact Cassaundra Conant at Cassaundra.Conant@arcofmc.org, 315-363-3389 ext. 1610 or visit arcofmc.org.