The labels we use – whether for things or people – are important and reveal much about our assumptions. The institution known as Pineland went through several names, depending on how those in charge thought about its purpose at the time. The people that lived at Pineland were also labeled – sometimes by their place in the institution, sometimes by the current understanding of their diagnosis, and sometimes from assumptions about their “usefulness” to society.
Here are some of the names used for both institution and people over the last two centuries.
The Institution
1908 – Maine School for the Feeble Minded
1925 – Pownal State School
1957 – Pineland Hospital and Training Center
1973 – Pineland Center
1980 – Pineland: A Comprehensive Center for the Developmentally Disabled
Those being served
Inmate
Patient
Client
Resident
“Condition” of those being served
Feeble minded
Defective
Idiot
Imbecile
Moron
Backward
Unfortunates
Incurable
Trainable
Educable
Mentally deficient
Mentally retarded
Intellectually challenged
Developmentally disabled