Haddencroft 3

I forget now exactly what we were told as we stood in the sunny courtyard at Haddencroft. I vaguely recall it was some long dissertation about the kids we were about to work with and what a great summer was about to unfold. I know we were instructed to meet and greet the kids we would soon be joining at Tanglewood, then we would make the trek there ourselves to prepare for their arrival.
Just as you might have expected as if during a movie scene, the long, charter busses rolled in over the dusty driveway and parked in a line right on cue before us. I think there were about six with their tinted windows huge windshields, New Jersey “motor coach” license plates and signs at the top showing “Maine” as the appointed destination.
As the air brakes hissed and squealed and the busses lumbered to a halt there was a short silence before the doors simultaneously lurched open and the occupants began to emerge. The drivers got out first and opened the large doors that housed the luggage beneath the bus, efficiently stacking large mounds of suitcases and bags on the ground.
Most of the kids were reasonably able to move on their own, some had wheelchairs while others needed help with balance and direction. Their residential caregivers had arrived ahead of them, preparing their quarters and greeting them like long-lost parents. This was their much-anticipated summer home having spent a long winter in the confines of their New Jersey asylum.
To those in the more “aware” category, this was a joyful time, full of the promise of fresh air, fun and new experience. Except for the fear of the unknown and a drastic change in structure that upset many of them, this was no different from any scene across the country as kids arrived at summer camp.
While many appeared like most normal kids arriving at summer camp, others, overdue for medication, were agitated. Some were vacant-eyed and apparently oblivious to their surroundings.
Organized chaos ensued as groups broke up and were sheparded to meet the staff. One by one, the “newbies” like myself we were introduced to these kids for the first time, while the more experienced among us, renewed old relationships. Reality hit hard, as the magnitude of the handicaps faced by these young people were revealed to us. "Holy crap what was I thinking?" comes to mind, as I look back at that moment.
Earlier in the day before our outdoor staff briefing, the Haddencroft adults had arrived and were already settled into their routines. Many of them were severely disabled and so drugged; they hardly interacted with anyone except the caregivers. Aside from being wheeled around the grounds in wheelchairs, being spoon-fed meals, bathed and given meds, these folks were little more than shells of humanity. Most of the adult population would not make the trek to Lincolnville.