OCCUPATION CENTRE

Evening Star, Issue 23678, 11 September 1940, Page 3

OCCUPATION CENTRE

DEVELOPING SUB-NORMAL CHILDREN • ASTONISHING RESULTS ACHIEVED NECESSITY FOR A HOME Practically unbeknown to the general public, the Occupation Centre, situated • at the rear of the Education Board’s buildings in Moray Place, continues, under the extremely capable supervision of _Miss J. _C. Greene, to bring a new interest in life to subnormal children. ' When the centre was opened, approximately two years ago, for the purpose of encouraging the hands of these unfortunate children to do something of importance, a reporter who interviewed Miss Greene, despite his knowledge of what she had done with subnormal children in Nottingham, England, thought, on seeing the dozen or so children she had in her care then, that her optimism and enthusiasm were outweighing any other considera- ' tion. Hardly any of the boys or girls could speak, ‘ one or two could hardly walk, all appeared practically helpless. Testerday the same reporter dropped in on the centre out of curiosity, his first visit in two years. There was Miss Greene; there were the rooms, looking very much _ brighter with painted walls, decorations, more furnishings, the floors linoleum-covered. There, too, were the children. Or, looking again, were they the same children? Surprising and gratifying a* were the changes in the surroundings —in the beginning they were rather cheerless—the changes in the younggsters were much more surprising and gratifying; indeed, they were incredible. The helpless children, now grown to 31 in number, were no longer helpless. Instead of viewing the world with suspicion as individuals to-day, they view life with the eyes of a happy, contented community. _ This superficial change was staggering, though its full significance could perhaps be apparent only to one paying a casual visit after two years, and that came as a mighty impact. Although much may happen in two years, it did not seem possible that so sweeping a change could have been effected in these youngsters. SURPRISE ON SURPRISE. That was the beginning of a series of great surprises. By some miracle these children could talk, not volubly, it is true, but sensibly, logically. They , could understand everything that was said to them. They could read simple messages in elementary books. They could write similar simple messages. They could paint, draw, sketch. All these things where before they could do nothing. Even more amazing, one boy who’ had never walked before he went to this school was walking about on his own, quite confident of himself, supremely happy in the knowledge that he could use his legs very nearly as well as any normal person. much for a brief impression of ordinary class work. Even more important than the gathering of an educational knowledge, the boys mid girls had been taught to use their hands to very real purpose. Both the boys and the girls have mastered the use of knitting needles, and now they are able to '. make scarves and similar simple articles. One girl is, indeed, in the course of knitting herself a jumper. Small looms have been provided, arid oh thesp iieatly woven scarves are turned out in quite large numbers, each one a properly _ finished article. Possibly more surprising still is the painstaking neatness of wickerwork trays and baskets made by boys and girls of whom nothing had been expected or thought possible two years ago. CHOIR AND ORCHESTRA. In another room Miss Greene showed the capabilities of these youngsters—their ages, incidentally, range from 6 to 20—as performers. En masse, to the accompaniment of a piano, they sang (and quite nicely, too) nursery rhymes and similar pieces. They were given cheap little musical instruments, and they became an orchestra of sorts, but they kept time. It was a little pathetic, but it showed what had been created put of difficult material in what • is, considering the circumstances, a very short space of time. It told something pf the infinite patience, kindness, and understanding of Miss Greene and her two voluntary assistants. And in the enthusiasm and! keenness with which the children tackled their duties, in their delight in performing modest exercises to music coming from a gramophone, in their unselfish devo- . tion to one another, Miss Greene has her reward. She has, too, the thanks of parents who were sceptical about what she could do, but who can find only words of praise for her to-day. Mothers and ■fathers who sent their son or daughter along “ just to see ” have been amazed, and are only too willing that the training should continue. GETTING BEYOND SIMPLE WORK. And that raises the question: How long will the training continue? Miss Greene said that so far as she was concerned the work would go on in-

definitely, and the same pupils could come so long as the centre remained. “ But,” sne said, “ several of the boys and girls are now beyond the teaching we can give them here. They are ready for bigger things. They are ready to work in gardens, to cook, to make things, but wo have no facilities for such extended training here.” She had, she said, inquiries from the country, but the difficulty was to care for sub-normal children away from home. Nobody wanted to board them, and there was no home to which they could be sent. “ We badly need a home here now,” Miss Greene remarked. “ A singlestoried place with plenty of ground which would offer facilities for domestic and outdoor . training.” Several parents had signified , their willingness to board the children out under these conditions, but, as Miss Greene explained, the trouble was to acquire the suitable premises. AN URGENT NEED. It seems a great pity that, work so well begun should go no further because of indifferent support from the right quarters. It has been suggested that the children should be sent to Templeton or to Nelson, where there are homes, but parents are not agreeable to tlfis, as they maintain, not without reason, that there should be facilities available nearer at hand, and facilities better suited to these children's requirements that it is claimed is the case the northern homes.

The help the education _ authorities appears prepared to give is small, although the value of Miss Greene’s work is being realised. The assistance of some public-spirited benefactor seems the only mainstay of hope, and surely no one realising just what has been done to make these children comparatively useful members of the community would hesitate to give aid enabling this fine work to be carried out to its limit. Through the employment of the boys in large gardens, through the training of the girls to use sewing machines (which is Miss Greene’s next hope), it should be possible to make them moneyearners, although it is not inferred that it would he possible to recuperate any outlay. -Such a suggestion would be misleading in itself, but surely no rightthinking person would look for greater return than the happiness of the subnormal children who are given an interest in life to which they are fully entitled.