The Crippled Child And Its Place In Society

Chronicle (Levin), 8 May 1948, Page 2

The Crippled Child And Its Place In Society

To anyone intereste'd in. child welfare, the name of the secretary of the New Zealand Crippled Cmldren's Society, Mr. C. Meachem, was a household word, commented Mr. J. Kirkwood at the annual meeting ot the . Otaki , Plunket Society on- Thursday night when lntroducing Mr. Meachem as the guest speaker. Speaking on the crippled child ana its place in . society, Mr. Meachem said, "Speech is a form of behaviouf by which a human being is stimulated and through , which he responds. It is a shortj cut manner . which the human 'being has substituted for more j laboiious and less accurate pancojmine and gesture." . i However, the vefy commoness of speech had a disadvantage in that it was taken for granted, continued the speaker. "Smce speecn is the ! common tool we expect everyone, handicapped or hot, to use this tool. We make aliowances for the l chiid who is crippled of lirnb, we ; don c a-k hirn to run our erranas. iThe child with damagea eyes is 'given special consideration, , we | don't ask' him to enjoy the museum, the zoo, or to recognise us un the street. But how different our ■ demands on a child handicapped m speech. We insist that he meets us ion a talking basis and when ne tries, and does his best, we make jhim and his efforts the butt oi icaricature and ridieule.

"With all the fine and devoced work which has been done for the crippled child in the past, most emphasis has been placjed on gerting him to walk and to use his limbs in various occupational ancr recreational ways. To get mere locomotion or activity, however, without increased abiiity to communicate may -only magnify - the sense of inferiority and the sociai problem. Speech handicaps not only bring sociai difficulties, th'ey also interfere with school progress, Any handicap.. in speech tends to put the learning proeess into reverse because the child is often punishtd rather than rewardec for his learning. Speech therapy associations are gradually beccrning recognised — speech handicaps are remediable. Satisfactory educational progress and adequate economic and sociai life for these children depends on improvement in speech. "In the terms. of the. .-.Crippled Children Society's definition of a crippled child, an individual with a cleft-palate'or cleft lip is just as. much a cripple as anyone having any other deformity. Certamiy one who cannot.speak clearly is at a disadvantage in his family and l sociai life, as well as iri his job. Research and practice make it possible not only to give him a lip ,and mouth' that is natural but — 'and of more importance — speech that is clear and distinct. A basic truth, and a sad one, in work for ■the handicapped, as in most coun- ; tries of sociai advancement and ; enlightenment, is that we as a ! people have infinitely more knowledge of how to serve the handi- ! capped . than we as a people are applying in serving them. "One of the main objects of the -society is the . prevention of crippling conditions — and a large number of the cases are preventable. They may develop in early childhood, but they are nearly all icurable if treafed at once. Deformity of the limbs present at birth I (such as club f oot) cannot " of lcourse, be prevented, but the pointj :to remember is that most of them can be curedj and here again the earlier the treatment the better is the chance of a cure.- The society feels today that many crippled boys and girls should be given an opporitunity to prove their worth' in the ! various classes of industry. A : number of our firms employ icripples and from reports received. 'from employers, we find that the .result is very satisfactory. They "are always anxious and most ! willing, and make excellent [employees. One of our objects is 1 to assist all our crippled children .to find work best suited to their aptitude and capacity. "Possibly the ■ inost important work that the society has fostered is what is known as "Travelling Orthopaedic Clinics" and although the war intervened, these clinics Still prove the most practlcal form of assistance on behalf of crippled children. At the annual conference held in 1939, the New Zealand Executive Council submitted a remit seeking approval for the sum of £1000 to be allocated for the . purpose of arranging travelling' clinics. They will assist to discover, register and treat all crippled children throughout New Zealand, and we anticipate the time when such clinics will be conducted by full-time Orthopaedic specialists Similar to the T.B. clinics , for which ' the Department of Health is responsible. . In conclusion, -Mr. Meachem ; spoke of the voluntary orgatiisations which did so much good In this regard. At the end of ' the address, three films were shown two giving instances of the rehabilitation of cripples and those who have lost limbs, and as a delightful conclusion, a coloured film on the gardens of England. The meeting accoided the speaker a hearty vote of thanks.