Roy Ford

This interview was conducted in the dining room of Solaris, a Camphill program in Hudson, NY.  Roy works with Solaris and has been a part of the Hudson community for eight years.  He was born and raised in the Philadelphia area and has worked and travelled extensively both in the U.S. and internationally.

He described his reactions to the recently viewed Oral History film, Accidental Documentary (produced by Nicki Pombler Berger) that he and the interviewer had both seen.  He explained that seeing the film caused him to reflect on the historical mistreatment of people with disabilities and his own behaviors when working in psychiatric settings in the 1970s.  He discussed his vast experience with the Camp Hill program as an ideal model for people with disabilities within our culture.  He also discussed his extensive training and experience with psychodrama and sociodrama.  Throughout his adult life he has found that these models helped him to develop a therapeutic approach in his work as a teacher and a nurse.  He believes this is the best way to be truly helpful to others.

He discussed his family and the reason for him relocating to Hudson around eight years ago.  When his step daughter got married and then had children, he and his wife chose to move to Hudson in order to be close to the grandchildren.  He described his life within the Hudson community and his role as a Grandfather, both of which he speaks about in very positive terms.

This interview may be of particular interest to those interested in the history of the rights of people with disabilities in the U.S., and therapeutic models such as Psychodrama, Sociodrama, and Camp Hill.