The Brandon Training School opened 1915 in Brandon, Vermont. Formerly called the Vermont State School for Feebleminded Children, the institution once held over 600 individuals with developmental disabilities. It ceased operation in 1993 and in 2013 there was a celebration of the 20th anniversary of its closing.
"Remember the Past, Celebrate the Present, Imagine the Future"
20th Anniversary Events
Public Service Announcement, Governor Shumlin and Robert Brace
"Disability advocates visit Statehouse, raise budget concerns, recall Brandon Training School" - VT Digger, 03/29/13
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) - Vermont Proclamation - 23rd Anniversary of the Passage of the ADA
Remembering the Brandon Training School - Compass Music and Arts Center Opening Reception, Brandon
"How the Former Brandon Training School Became a Thriving Village" - Seven Days, 6/19/13
"A nod to Brandon's past Compass Arts Center honors the Brandon Training School" - The Reporter, 7/31/13
Remembrance Day - Brandon Training School Cemetery memorial Dedication and Social Gathering, Pinehill Cemetery and Compass Music and Arts Center, Brandon - September 13, 2013
Remembrance Day Program
Names of former Brandon Training School residents buried at Pine Hill Cemetery (2013)
Joan Stephens' Remarks
"Painful History Buried at Shuttered Vermont Institution" - National Public Radio, 9/29/13
"Brandon Training School memorial honors a complex social legacy" - The Reporter, 9/18/13
20th Anniversary Celebration at the Killington Grand Hotel - November 15, 2013
The Vermont Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living, Developmental Disabilities Services Division presents the 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Closing of the Brandon Training School – “Remember the Past, Celebrate the Present, Imagine the Future.” Celebration held Nov. 15, 2013 at the Killington Grand Hotel in Killington, Vermont.
Part 1 includes addresses and presentations by Camille George, Theresa Wood, June Bascom, Doug Racine, Bill Ashe and Larry Bissonnette.
Part 1 - Brandon Training School, The 20th Anniversary of the Closing
Part 2 includes remembrances and stories of former residents of the Brandon Training School.
Part 2 - Brandon Training School, The 20th Anniversary of the Closing
"Former residents, advocates recall BTS closing" - Rutland Herald