Commentary: Are we forgetting the lessons of Willowbrook?

A state facility for people with disabilities has gone without air conditioning for years. It’s a reminder of how easily neglect can return when institutions are out of the public eye.

By Vicky Hiffa,For the Times Union July 19, 2026

Building 29 at Willowbrook Development Center on Staten Island is seen in this 1970s-era photo. Now long shuttered, the institution was infamous for abuse, neglect and dehumanizing conditions, and news reports of its conditions led to changes in laws governing institutional care.Jim Romano/New York Daily News via Getty Images

Sunmount, a state facility in Franklin County that is home to approximately 145 people with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities, has reportedly lacked functioning air conditioning for nearly three years. That is unconscionable — especially considering this summer’s oppressive heat wave that has brought temperatures above 90 degrees for multiple days.

Three years is not a repair timeline. It is a failure of responsibility. How was this allowed to happen? The state must demand an answer.