Pennhurst State School and Hospital, which opened in 1908 near Spring City, Pennsylvania, became a symbol of the mistreatment of people with disabilities due to decades of overcrowding, neglect, and abuse. Public attention grew after Bill Baldini's 1968 investigative report Suffer the Little Children, and the landmark Halderman v. Pennhurst lawsuit led to a 1977 court ruling that residents' constitutional rights had been violated. The case helped transform disability rights in the United States by promoting community-based care over large institutions. Pennhurst closed in 1987, and today the site includes a museum and a state historical marker recognizing its role in the disability civil rights movement.