Collection:LPB

Genre: News, Public Affairs

Place Covered: Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, Kenner, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana

Copyright Holder: Louisiana Educational Television Authority

Date Issued: 1984-03-30

Duration: 00:08:22

Subjects: Mental Health | People with mental disabilities | Mental illness

Contributors:

• Courtney, Beth Host
• Johnson, Ken Reporter
• Piker, Bea Interviewee
• Boyd, Joe Interviewee
• Escalada, Virginia Interviewee
• Piper, Claudia Interviewee
• Kent, Andrea Interviewee

This segment from the March 30, 1984, episode of the series “Louisiana: The State We’re In” features Ken Johnson’s report on people with mental illnesses and mental disabilities in Louisiana. Johnson reports that one out of every ten people in Louisiana suffers from a mental illness. He visits a meeting between state legislators and the Friends Alliance for the Mentally Ill, a group urging the Legislature to adopt a “Bill of Rights for the Mentally Handicapped.” He interviews Bea Piker and Joe Boyd of the Friends Alliance, who discuss the work of the organization and overcoming the stigma of mental illness. Johnson also visits the Parc School in Kenner, a school that teaches people with mental disabilities from ages 6 months to 60 years old. He interviews: Virginia Escalada, a mother of two children with mental disabilities; Claudia Piper, a special education teacher; and Andrea Kent, a teaching intern. Host: Beth Courtney