Be The Voice
I
watched something on Facebook today that made my blood boil. And before you
ask, no, it wasn’t the latest fake Justin Bieber marketing scam or the pop-up
ads presuming that because I am female and not a size zero I clearly have
suicidal tendencies induced by lack of self esteem. Although those do come a
close second. It was this: http://www.wfsb.com/story/24812844/teacher-records-autistic-boy-stuck-in-chair
A hideous example of everything that’s wrong with provision for additional
needs children in mainstream school; in actuality, a hideous example of how NOT
to teach, in my opinion. A child of eleven, stuck in a classroom chair and left
for at least ten minutes is bad enough. For a significant and responsible adult
in charge to then film the incident takes it to a whole other level. Add in
that this child also has autism and I genuinely wonder what the world is coming
to. If any one of my children (‘normal’ or otherwise) was ever treated in that
way I would have serious self restraint issues in not marching straight in and
making my point with my fists and multiple profanities. Well, c’mon, you can
take the girl out of the chavvy life, but you can never totally take the chav
out of the girl ;)
The
event itself is enough to shock and worry most parents and carers out there
regarding the safety of children in school, but what astounded me the most was
the lackadaisical response of the parents at the school where this occurred. If
you watch the report you can see a father defending the actions of the teacher,
and then later a mother claiming something along the lines of things perhaps
being taken out of context. Tell me please; in what exact context is it OK for
a child to be trapped, filmed, and asked if he wants to be tasered in front of
an entire classroom full of peers? Am I missing something? Shift this to an
adult based workplace context and I’m pretty sure someone would have a lawsuit
on their hands; I mean this is America after all. The seemingly widespread
apathy and even support for the teacher suggests an underlying remnant of
culture we have worked so hard to erase; something ready to rear its ugly head
at any given moment. Prejudice and discrimination
to those who we perceive to be weaker than we are.
A
very good friend rightly pointed out that we don’t know the bigger picture
relating to this student and the situation, and I’d like to make it very clear
right now my intention to speak out for the welfare of the child, and others
like him, rather than waste my time vilifying the teacher involved. As a parent
of a non-verbal child reports like this jump right out and punch me in between
the eyes, a harsh reality check of the absolute and total vulnerability my boy
is subject to every day when he leaves my side. Truth be told, it scares me to
death sometimes. If I dwell too long on it horror scenarios tend to play out in
my overly `active imagination; but I’d be living in fantasy land to think that
my child is completely safe given he has no means of communicating to me what
has happened during his day in my absence. All parents know that worrying comes
with the territory, from the kids’ friendship choices to how many peas you’ve
managed to coerce them into eating at dinner; from
is-this-rash-a-deathly-meningitis-rash to have-they-permanently-tattooed-themselves-with-that-random-lone-Sharpie.
You know something? I’d love to stress about those things for B. Because having
cause to worry about those things would displace my current worries; the ones
where I wonder exactly where that huge bruise has appeared from, or if anyone
has treated him roughly that day, or why he has come home distressed, pinching,
scratching and biting everyone in his path, or why he is screaming so much at
situations he could normally handle. As such I must have the utmost confidence
in the people I choose to care for my precious boy, which is why reports like
this strike cold hard fear into my normally warm and fuzzy heart. The parents
of the boy in this video were understandably upset at his treatment, and yet
other reactions were apathetic. Maybe the boy is a known troublemaker at the
school. Maybe the teacher is an excellent role model in all other areas of
education and life. Maybe parents don’t want their school district attracting
‘that sort of attention,’ and so play down their reactions. In my opinion, none
of these reasons hold weight in the tolerance and acceptance of such actions by
a professional in a role of authority towards a child, let alone a child with a
diagnosis of autism.
I
need to know there are people in this world who will be B’s voice. As special
needs parents our community so desperately need for regular people to advocate
and raise awareness of potential harmful behaviour that could negatively affect
our children. We are tired of people judging us, we’re tired of the lack of
empathy and understanding; we’re tired of fighting for everything. Turning a
blind eye or looking the other way when things like this happen is so dangerous
for our kids. We need you. Like a desert needs rain, we need you. Please help
create a safe world for our kids to play and grow in, more than tolerance;
acceptance and advocacy for the most vulnerable among us. That way, we all win.
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than
the way in which it treats its children.”
“A nation should not be
judged on how it treats it’s highest citizens, but rather how it treats it’s
lowest.” Nelson Mandela
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