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Jessie's Song 3
An audio recording of Jessie Houston playing guitar during the final site visit.
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Jessie's Song 2
An audio recording of Jessie Houston playing guitar during the final site visit.
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Jessie's Song 1
An audio recording of Jessie Houston playing guitar during the final site visit.
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HRC Ambiance
An audio clip of ambient sounds in the HRC
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Touring the HRC Barbershop
An audio clip of Alex Tigchelaar and Michael discussing whistles while touring the HRC barbershop.
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HRC Ambient Sounds
An audio clip of ambient sounds of the water system at the HRC recorded while Alex Tigchelaar walked through the HRC.
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Controlling Access
An audio clip of site visit discussions about HRC survivors who were unable to attend the final site visit and the difficulties visitors encountered with site security preventing survivors from accessing certain areas of the HRC.
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HRC Ambiance
An audio clip of ambient sounds in the HRC
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Sounds of the HRC
Ambient sounds of the HRC.
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Ambient Sounds in the HRC
An audio clip of ambient sounds heard throughout the HRC.
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Sounds of the HRC
An audio clip of the ambient sounds in the HRC
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Walking Through the HRC
An audio clip of a person walking through HRC buildings during the final site visit.
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The "Recounting Huronia Project"
An audio clip of Alex Tigchelaar describing the, "Recounting Huronia Project" while visiting the HRC. While speaking, Alex is interrupted by site security who warn visitors not to drink the facility's water.
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Harold Dougall: Spokesperson for Vulnerable People
An audio clip of Harold Dougall discussing his goal of being a spokesperson for vulnerable people during the site visit. Harold explains that he did not attend school because 'he can't learn as fast as someone else" but that did not stop him from working around the institution.
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An audio clip of Harold Dougall urging disabled survivors to speak up against injustices.
An audio clip from site visit discussions. Harold Dougall recalls being told to ignore the abuses he witnessed while institutionalized at the HRC and now he feels the need to speak up against injustices. The clip also includes the Recounting Huronia research team asking for consent from site visitors to be audio recorded and photographed during the final site visit.
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Survivors Talk About Forced Sterilization
An audio recording from a tour of the HRC. A site visitor discusses the use of forced sterilization techniques at the HRC that included birth control experiments conducted at the institution.
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Escaping the HRC
Harold Dougall, former HRC resident, talks about escaping the institution, sneaking out, and going to downtown Orillia before being caught by an HRC staff member. Harold Dougall and Alex Tigchelaar describe the HRC kitchen and the wards of the former HRC.
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Touring Harold's Room at the HRC
An audio clip of Harold Dougall speaking with Alex Tigchelaar as they tour Harold's room as a resident at HRC. Harold explains that the walls of his old bedroom had been painted and curtains put on the windows. Harold explains that there were 16 residents in one room at the HRC and expresses that he feels angry when people spread 'bullshit' about the HRC being a decent place that has fallen into disrepair. Harold responds with the fact that there were not even bathrooms near residents' bedrooms,
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Touring the Dining Room
An audio clip of site visit discussions while touring HRC's two dining rooms. Harold Dougall describes his feeling the presence of a former resident that was murdered in the dining room. SIte security is heard rushing visitors through their tours. Harold describes HRC teachers as 'the screws'.
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Working in the Laundry Room
An audio clip of site visit discussions. Harold Dougall describes working in the laundry room while institutionalized at the HRC and explains the deep loneliness experienced by HRC residents due to being isolated from their families.
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Walking Through the HRC Bedrooms
Harold Dougall, a former HRC resident, walk through HRC bedrooms during the final site visit. Harold recalls HRC residents being forced to scrub floors with a toothbrush they were made to use after. He explained that HRC residents were sad and lonely, there was nothing to do in the resident's rooms, no television, and sitting all day. Residents remained inside at all times and dorms were separated by female and male genders. Harold explains that the Orillia community wanted HRC residents contained and institutionalized and that the HRC resident's parents did not want the responsibility of caring for children with disabilities.
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Site Visit Discussions with Harold Dougall, Former Residents and Staff
Former residents of the Huronia Regional Centre discuss their institutional experiences while visiting the former site.
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Resident Bathrooms as Space of Abuse
An audio clip of site visitors discussing the daily washing practices of HRC residents and the resident bathrooms as spaces of abuse. Cold showers, for example, were used as a form of punishment. The group goes on to discuss physical abuse of HRC residents, by other residents, staff, and supervisors. HRC medical and administrative departments buried injury and incident reports. Harold explains that he personally saw another resident beaten to death while institutionalized at the HRC. Survivors remember signing affidavits after witnessing staff murder a resident who was being punished. HRC staff intimidated residents, particularly in light of the HRC cemetery located on the institutions' grounds. Sadly, there is no justice for survivors and their families because no one is held accountable for the irreparable harm of institutionalization. Harold describes himself as a spokesperson because, "people don't talk about the damage, they did damage".
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Institutional Neglect
An audio clip of site visitors discussing the dirty state of resident bathrooms at the HRC, that HRC doctors and teachers lived in apartments on each floor, the presence of an assault room and the use of isolation tactics, and bars on windows. One former resident describes stealing candy from an HRC teacher while a former HRC staff member reports that a single doctor was responsible for the care of 20 HRC residents. Another site visitor noted the HRC population being 2600 in 1960.
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Touring the HRC Main Floor with Harold
An audio clip of Harold Dougall, and other site visitors discussing survivors' experiences at the HRC while touring the site. Harold describes HRC staff identifying residents by number or surname.