Ernie Kish

Blue Institution Ernie Kish

Scott Porter, institutionalized at the age of twenty in a state institution for the developmentally delayed. Ironically, Scott is not developmentally delayed. He suffers from a hereditary neurological disease, Huntington's chorea, which Scott admits is "one of Mother Nature's cruelest jokes."Huntington's has rendered Scott virtually unable to do anything for himself, including communicating verbally. The only communication he has is the subtle vibrations in a person's being, that only a handful of the more sensitive care-givers, where he now lives, understand. Scott's brilliant mind is still intact, it's his body that doesn't want to function any-longer. So with all the problems that Scott has, how does he tell his story? "It's a miracle." Scott tells his story through his mind-his thoughts-in a no holds barred, down to earth style that is humorously entertaining, but he can not hide his constant struggle with a deep depression and loneliness. Blue Institution illustrates the tragedy of one individual coping and dying from Huntington's chorea, and how its tragedy touched the lives of his family and care-givers. Through Scott's eyes, it is a timeless witness, portraying life in a state institution for the developmentally delayed, in the mid nineteen-seventies and eighties.