A friend of mine asked me if I had noticed the degree of discrimination that the handicapped faced? I was a bit surprised, I had not encountered this before. He went on to relate a story about a family friend.
The family friend had been asked to remove her child from school. A group of parents of other students had objected to the presence of this child and brought pressure to bear on the teachers who had, in turn asked that the child be removed.
The reason? The child was suffering from Downes syndrome, which, presumably, something that they thought either dangerous or repulsive, probably both.
In searching for a school for the child the parents met many teachers, one of whom had faced a similar experience previously. Ceylinco Sussex College had wanted to accommodate pupils with learning difficulties in the school and hire specially trained teachers to work with them. The school had been forced to abandon the project after parents objected.
My friend remarked that not only is there discrimination based on race and religion, even the handicapped are a "problem". He wondered why people simply did not complete the cycle and apply for their Nazi party cards, because these were the very characteristics that the Nazi's wished to stamp out.
I could not but agree with him.
5 comments:
This is really sad. These people (those who objected) are neither politicians nor government officials. It is not a big surprise that we got a king like the one in power today!
Yes Anon. Ignorance and bigotry rules the day.
sad, isn't it, Offthebeatentrack?
Never mind the law, the attitude is disgraceful.
I know a kid with Downs, and she's an absolute dear, and generally, I've noticed how lovable and sweet these kids are, always ready to smile and eager to please. If only people took the trouble to get to know them, they'd change their attitude.
I know that differently able children are accepted at Ladies' College, and I think they are integrated in to the regular class, which is commendable. Not sure whether they have an additional teacher. They even accepted a girl I know as a boarder, as her parents were living outstation.
That is good to know Shammi, I will pass the information on.
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