Samuel Brown was both deaf and blind. Otherwise, he was a healthy young man with a long life expectancy. He had been living in a residence under the care of W. Ross Macdonald School.
Brown was found unresponsive at the Brantford school on February 8, 2018. His family’s lawyer told CHCH News that Brown had talked to staff earlier in the day telling them he was not feeling well. The school is governed by the Ministry of Education.
W. Ross Macdonald School has made headlines over the past decade. A class-action lawsuit detailed disturbing allegations which included staff kicking students, forcing them to eat their own vomit and drink from urinals.
Up to 1,000 students enrolled between 1951 to 2009 were included in the lawsuit but all of those allegations were never proven in court after an $8 million settlement was made before the trial was set to begin.
Brown’s family gathered outside the Ministry of Education headquarters calling for answers as they were left wondering what went wrong last year.
The Ministry of Education says they send their deepest condolences to the Brown family but as this matter is currently before the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, they can not comment at this time.
