Names a certain state facility after Willie Mae "Goody" Goodman

• Democratic1

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Cordell Cleare says this is needed

In 1955, Willie Mae Goodman gave birth 'to her daughter Margaret, who was diagnosed (in the, parlance of the day) as profoundly retarded and multiply handicapped; even though the doctors believed Margaret would not live a long life, Willie Mae chose to dedicate her life to her daughter's well-being, proclaiming, "from this day forward my life is hers and her life is mine." At the age of four, Margaret Goodman was placed in Willowbrook State School, Building 14; in 1961, the Department of Mental Hygiene beganto quietly transfer approximately 200 severe and profoundly disabled chil- dren, including Margaret, from the wards at Willowbrook and place them in a building abandoned by New York City in 1960, on the lower East Side of Manhattan formally known as the Gouverneur Hospital. Willie Mae Goodman realized these children needed an advocate to ensure their survival, and she enthusiastically took on the role; in 1970, faced with the threat that the Gouverneur residents would be returned to Willowbrook State School, she became the voice of the newly formed Gouverneur Parents Association (GPA). The GPA became the first group of parents to take the Department of Mental Hygiene to court, and through a court injunction, successfully blocked the transfer of their loved ones back to Willowbrook State School. Furthermore, in 1975, Willie Mae Goodman successfully obtained legal affirmation that the. Gouverneur residents were members of the Willowbrook Class, and as such, entitled to the same benefits and protections available to all class members. Since then, Willie Mae Goodman has continued to fight for "her kids" from Gouverneur; due to her steadfast and unremitting commitment, many of the residents have lived well beyond what most expected and have experienced the benefits of placement in community-based homes, includ- ing her beloved daughter who has been a resident of the 119th Street Residence since 1991. For seven decades, Willie Mae Goodman has worked tirelessly to address society's ignorance on the needs of the developmentally disabled and helped tear down any barriers which have denied these individuals commu- nity integration opportunities-today at age 92 the fight continues and given the singularly important role she has played in safeguarding our loved one and transforming the treatment landscape, her works should be memorialized while she is alive to tell the story.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.