Since 2008 Tim Boyland has collaborated with The Staten Island Developmental Disabilities Council, the College of Staten Island, the Institute  for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, and the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, in a community  partnership to memorialize the site of the former Willowbrook State School in Staten Island.

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The shared vision for the former Willowbrook State School property is to create a pathway for everyone to share the history of the property that would be accomplished in an inclusive, productive, progressive, and creative manner within a community partnership. The Willowbrook Mile project aims to preserve the site’s history and create a visionary presence that acknowledges the deinstitutionalization movement to empty large ineffective institutions as well as the crucial initiation of sustained rights for people with disabilities.

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In the early 1970’s, Willowbrook burst onto the national scene following a series of articles published by the Staten Island Advance detailing the deplorable conditions that Sen. Robert Kennedy compared to a “snake pit” following his 1965 visit to the institution.

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Following the Geraldo Rivera, Eyewitness News expose, residents and their families joined civil libertarians and mental health advocates in a lawsuit against the state “to prevent further deterioration and to establish that residents had a constitutional right to treatment,” according to The New York Times. In April 1975, the Willowbrook Consent Judgment was signed, and it has been used since as a model throughout the United States and in many parts of the world. This decree became a reality thanks to the commitment of families, advocates, numerous local and governmental agencies, community activists, and public officials and the recognition by the Staten Island community that all citizens are protected from harm under the 8th and 14th Amendments to the Constitution of the United States.

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The closing of Willowbrook State School in 1987 ushered in a new era for the way disabled people are treated, as they transitioned from isolation and institutionalization to integration into community residences across the State. New methodologies for addressing the needs of people with disabilities have been embraced locally, regionally, and nationally, sparked by the events that took place on and because of Willowbrook.

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The Willowbrook Mile uniquely creates an educational and fitness walking trail that connects the three neighboring properties. Reflection stations will be erected at sites along the pathway. The outdoor kiosks will be equipped with QAR scan code capability and contain audio, visual, and braille signage components. At each station, visitors will be able to experience a particularly significant milestone in the history of the Willowbrook property. 

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