A recent report in The Times laid bare the neglect and abuse of the developmentally disabled, chronicling the lives of a group of men who spent more than 30 years eviscerating turkeys at an obscure Iowa factory. In return, they got room, board and $65 a month. Advocates finally succeeded last year in winning a lawsuit to recover damages and decades of back pay.
The need to end the economic servitude and social exile of people with disabilities has long been clear. The Providence agreement is a promising but overdue starting point.