My eldest son was diagnosed with autism in 2011. So when the Saskatchewan government announced in 2012 it was closing Valley View Centre, an aging institution near Moose Jaw for people with intellectual and physical disabilities, I felt compelled to document the institution's final days. This I was able to do through Sandra Hamon, right, and her brother, Scott Lister, left. Non-verbal and afflicted with what was once termed "severe mental retardation," Scott was one of the first...
more »

My eldest son was diagnosed with autism in 2011. So when the Saskatchewan government announced in 2012 it was closing Valley View Centre, an aging institution near Moose Jaw for people with intellectual and physical disabilities, I felt compelled to document the institution's final days. This I was able to do through Sandra Hamon, right, and her brother, Scott Lister, left. Non-verbal and afflicted with what was once termed "severe mental retardation," Scott was one of the first people to move into Valley View when it opened in 1955. He was seven years old, the same age as my son when I began this four-year project. Here, after 62 years and his final night in Valley View, Scott acknowledges his sister as he settles into his new room in a community home she found for him in downtown Moose Jaw. Of all my photos, this one is perhaps the most meaningful to me because it shows that people like Scott, and people like my son, know more about what's going on than many give them credit for.
« less