Comments on: Condemning Crippled Children

By: David W. Boles

David W. Boles — Fri, 29 May 2009 12:45:59 +0000

Well said, Kimberley! We need to honor the best in us and find the best in others — it’s an especially difficult task with the disabled, but if we don’t try, we lose a bit of our humanity in the rejection.

By: Kimberley Fields

Kimberley Fields — Fri, 29 May 2009 05:18:56 +0000

So much for progress! Huh?
We seem to be shooting ourselves in the foot on this matter! Unfortunately, the handicapped children of our country pay severally. By the time anyone stands up and takes notice, so many of these precious little lives will have fallen through the cracks! I’ve literally seen this take place. It is so hard to buck the system! We should be daring enough to project a voice on the behalf of these children! If we do not … who will?
We have to ask ourselves … “Where will these children be in ten years?”
I do not have a crippled child but I have dealt, on a personal level, with my daughters own handicaps! She deserves the same chance at life as any other ordinary child. I remind her that she is not ordinary … but extraordinary! She is unique and one of a kind! That makes her priceless, a rare treasure!
Life will not cut them any breaks! We have to prepare them to aspire for great things, persevere through hardships, get back up when knocked down, achieve their goals, bask in the limelight and relish the moments that made them strong! Only by this will they ever live a rich full life with purpose!

By: David W. Boles

David W. Boles — Thu, 28 May 2009 23:37:32 +0000

Excellent points all around, Kimberley!
30 years or so ago disabled children were given special, separate, attention in the public schools. It was truly one-on-one learning that helped a great deal but, it was incredibly expensive and many taxpayers refused to continue to pay for these “broken children.”
Since children are entitled to a public education, the system had to find a way to handle these severely disabled children and, to save time and money, they began mainstreaming them. The children were often left out and confused and ridiculed by their “peers” and it just didn’t work in reality, but it worked okay on paper and, so, that became the new disabled child mandate for education and even the ADA couldn’t really make that big a difference in the “equalness” of the education in the classroom.
You’re right that disabled children have many special needs and not everyone is made to be able to serve them in the appropriate way.

By: Kimberley Fields

Kimberley Fields — Thu, 28 May 2009 22:47:33 +0000

What a dismal awareness this article provokes … certainly necessary!
For such children, just the everyday routines of life are difficult. Why should the school atmosphere contribute to their struggles rather than providing a nurturing, learning environment that will assist them to live life to the fullest of their abilities?
I have been an aide to the severely handicapped. It takes a great deal of patience, love, understanding and a genuine concern for the child’s future. It can not be just a paycheck! There is a child’s life weighing in the balances!
We must never forget … that children (handicapped or not) are always going to behave like children! They get too loud sometimes. They are unruly sometimes. They are overly friendly or laugh out loud when nothing is really funny! That’s one of the treasures of being a kid! When their behavior merits disciplinary action, it must been administered in a professional, loving, caring way!
I agree whole-heartedly! Mainstreaming handicapped children is only denying them the proper care, teaching and training needed to help them in their life skills! We’ve been blind sighted by cost! Hey, why not have the state lotteries contribute to the cause of making a difference in the lives of the handicapped children by equipping the local school systems with the proper training and necessary tools to prepare these children for a promising future?

By: David W. Boles

David W. Boles — Thu, 28 May 2009 16:05:53 +0000

I think mainstreaming disabled children has its curses, Gordon. You really need to give them intensive, one-on-one attention — but that is incredibly expensive. It’s easier to just dump the borderline kids in with everyone else and hope it all works out.

By: Gordon Davidescu

Gordon Davidescu — Thu, 28 May 2009 15:29:14 +0000

It’s really horrible when children are abused on top of the problems that they face each day just from having their from-birth disabilities. What can be done to fight this?