In our presentation, we analyze the memories of 23 former pupils who were placed at “Linde School for Disabled Children” in the 1950’s and 60’s. While at Linde they were children of primary school age (7-14 years old) with paralysis and other disabilities resulting from poliomyelitis (hereafter “polio”). The participants in this study were at Linde for up to seven years between 1947 and 1965, i.e., about 60-75 years ago, and they refer to themselves as Linde veterans.
We were present when they met for a weekend in 2021 and have since met some of the participants on several occasions and interviewed nine of them.
The purpose of the study is to explore how memories from institutionalized childhoods contribute to forming shared identities among disabled persons.
