University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Archives Department.

Wisconsin Council for Mentally Retarded Children.

Records, 1949-1980.

UWM Manuscript Collection 22

.6 cubic ft. (2 boxes)

ABSTRACT: Records, largely consisting of correspondence, documenting the group's attempts to change the established procedures for commitment of an individual to a mental health facility, and to reduce the financial responsibility placed on the parents of institutionalized children.

Alice Wright Gee, president of the Council, generated the bulk of the correspondence which documents the activities of the group from its inception. The correspondence was primarily with the parents of retarded children, mental institution personnel, and politicians. Parents who contacted the Council were either pledging support for the organization or seeking information on specific institutions. Mental institution personnel from other midwestern states were asked to respond to a questionnaire pertaining to the fee structures employed by their institution. The Council needed to know the incarceration costs charged by these institutions before proposing alterations in the fee structure for Wisconsin institutions. Correspondence with politicians documents who was in favor of the changes proposed by this organization, and what steps they claimed to have taken to see the desired changes become reality. Although some portions of the records are incomplete or missing, the political activities of this group are well documented for the years 1949-1955.

ACCESS RESTRICTIONS: There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law. However, the researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

HISTORICAL NOTE: Five married couples who had retarded children in Wisconsin mental institutions created the Wisconsin Council for Mentally Retarded Children in the fall of 1949. The group came together because it wanted to change the way that mental health issues were handled and funded in the State of Wisconsin. The organization had two goals: to change the established procedures for committing persons to mental institutions, and to limit the amount of money that the State of Wisconsin could charge for the incarceration of a retarded individual. According to the records, their work led to the passage of Bills No. 762, S., and 710, S. sometime in late June or early July 1951. The records indicate that the group dissolved and became part of the United Association for Retarded Children on April 1, 1962. According to the Encyclopedia of Associations, the United Association for Retarded Children no longer exists.

Additional information on the Council can be obtained in Francis A. Brennan's 1955 thesis, History, Growth, and Development of the Wisconsin Council for Mentally Retarded Children (Call Number: HV10000 B74) or in Alice Wright Gee's 1960 thesis, The Development of Pamphlets for Parents of Severely Mentally Retarded Children (Call Number: L9999 G297).

COLLECTION CITATION: This collection should be cited as:

Wisconsin Council for Mentally Retarded Children. Records, 1949-1980. UWM Manuscript Collection 22. University Manuscript Collections. Golda Meir Library. University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee.

ACQUISITION: This collection was donated to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee at an unknown date.

PROCESSING: Vincent Totka processed the collection at the Archives in February-March 1992.

MARC RECORD SEARCH TERMS: The following terms were used in the online bibliographic MARC record to this collection:

Child mental health services--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
Milwaukee (Wis.)--History--Sources.

UWM MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION 22	BOX	FOLDER
Constitution	1	1
Correspondence, 1949-1950	1	2
Correspondence, 1950-1951	1	3
Correspondence, 1951-1953	1	4
Correspondence, 1953-1955	1	5
Newsletter, 1951-1954	1	6
Newspaper Clippings, 1951-1952	1	7
Pamphlets and Articles, 1965-1980	1	8
Parent's Letters, 1949-1951	2	1
Questionnaire on Costs, 1952-1953	2	2
Undated Materials and Legislation	2	3