Mary Fonsic was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts in the 1880s to Portuguese immigrants. When she was in her twenties, she was institutionalized at the Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded, later renamed the Walter E. Fernald School. She remained there for the rest of her life.
My great-grandfather must have known about his Aunt Mary. He lived with extended family, he was in his late teens when she died, and she was buried in the same plot as his mother. Yet he never mentioned her to his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, multiple of whom are intellectually disabled.
At its core, I am seeking to solve the mystery of my family. Why are my intellectually disabled relatives largely hidden from the world? And are their lives today impacted by Mary Fonsic’s life, and what my great-grandfather saw of it?
I’ve been thinking about these questions for around a year, since I found Mary Fonsic listed as an “Inmate” on historical records from the Walter E. Fernald School. I realized these questions are far from simple, and the answers dig deep into the history of the way our society views intellectual disability. Once a week, I hope to bring some insight into cultural perceptions of intellectual disability through a variety of lenses such as historical records, personal anecdotes, scientific and sociological research, governmental legislation, and current activism.