Not exactly what you are talking about, but in Romania during the time of Ceaușescu, any kind of ‘different’ was shameful.
I go to Romania every year, where I work with adults and children with developmental disabilities. Some of the children were found locked in rooms like you describe. Sort of. I have heard the most heartbreaking stories (I wasn’t there when they were taken to the children’s home). Some children would be kept in cellars, where parents would just throw in food without ever going in.
It’s terrible when a society decides some people are worth more than others. Thankfully, the attitudes in Romania are rapidly changing & I have noticed such a huge difference in the years I have been going there
ETA: ah, sorry: obviously this would not go by that name, nor would it be purpose built. I thought you were asking about the locking up…
IIRC both had Downs Syndrome and Burkes never even bothered trying to confirm there deaths (because they couldn’t concieve of the Queen Mother lying to them).
It’s my understanding that a “disappointment room” was a small space, generally located on the top floor of the house, where “mentally ill” family members (usually children) were kept during the 1800-1900s so that they would remain well out of the public eye. I’ve come across that term several times and been struck by its poignancy.
