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On March 1st, I went to Albany with a bus load of mostly adult home residents from New York City for the first-ever Adult Home Speak Out. Some of these folks have been warehoused in the mental health system for much of their lives. I asked one adult home resident what he would say to a young person first entering the mental health system: He responded, "You have to learn to accept the mistreatment and neglect of staff."

This is one example of "learned helplessness" that many adult home residents experience when their lives revolve around an unproductive routine: wake up; heavy doses of medication; eat breakfast; watch television; eat lunch; watch television; eat dinner; and sleep. It is comfortable to zone-out and allow yourself to be looked after, but acceptance of small abuses is often followed by large abuses, as was documented by Clifford Levy in his New York Times expose.

The tragedy of adult homes was discussed in the press, the governor talked about it, the Assembly discussed it; it was time for the adult home residents themselves, who most need a hearing, to share their experiences and suggestions about how their lives can be improved. That was why the Speak Out was organized.

The day would not have been possible without the Coalition of Institutionalized Aged and Disabled (CIAD), whose board of directors is comprised entirely of adult home and nursing home residents. CIAD's survey of 400 residents from 17 adult homes in NYC determined the five most needed items that were requested of New York State legislators at the Speak Out. From access to more independent housing, higher personal needs allowances, proper physical and mental healthcare to a clothing allowance and air conditioners for all residents' rooms, the five items combined will cost $163.4 million. CIAD's executive director Geoff Lieberman believes such a large investment toward improving residents' lives is only fair and equitable given the residents' years of profound and unrecorded suffering.

Gary Levin of Far Rockaway's Ocean House adult home is a different kind of resident. He had been living an independent and politically active life for 28 years before tragedy struck and the system placed him in an adult home. Some residents, like Gary, have experienced independence for much of their lives. They wage a war against "learned helplessness" on a daily basis. Gary, a CIAD member and vocal advocate, has been labeled a "trouble-maker" by his adult home, one of the most notorious in New York.

In addition to residents, politicians responded to residents' concerns. Assemblyman Dick Gottfried, Chair of the Health Committee said the Assembly needs to hear from residents directly about their issues; reading about it in the papers in not enough. Assemblyman Peter Rivera's spokesperson urged us to support A8621, which allows adult home residents to take legal action against operators, and A8622, which promotes choice, alternative housing and housing waiting lists for adult home residents.