Author Description

"Bye-Bye Charlie is the first publication to interweave a large collection of oral testimony with documentary evidence to record the history of an Australian institution for intellectually disabled people. Established in 1887, Kew Cottages (now Kew Residential Services) is Australia's largest and oldest institution for people with intellectual disability. Originally built to care for children, the institution always housed a range of people from babies to the elderly. 'Bye-Bye Charlie' includes the stories of residents, staff, policymakers, parents and family members. It is a moving and at times distressing portrait of the institution, which traces shifts in attitudes towards the intellectually disabled over time. It concludes with the upcoming closure of the institution next year."--Provided by publisher.