The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-02-14

ian relief, which, through its home serv-
ice sections. provides social after care for
disabled men,
In making announcement to-day OF
the plans for the conference, Douglas &.
McMurtrie, director of the Red Cross In
stitute for Crippled and Disabled Men,
said the gathering would be unofficial IN
the governmental sense, but scientifically
of great authority, as many of the lead
ers in the rehabilitation work abroad will
come to the United States for the first
time to attend its sessions. Their pres
ence here will afford opportunity to
American workers in the same field to
draw upon the experience Of the foreign
delegates for the solution of local prob
lens
While activities in behalf Of the dis
abIed soldier will figure largely in the
program of both popular and scientific
sessions, the interests of the disabled in
dustrial worker will come in for con
siderable share Of attention. The invi-
tations to the conference designate it as
a conference on the rehabilitation of the
disabled man." civilian as we'll as mill
tarv. Although the concentration Of in
LtlE%l Oh Aiit AilNl AtAAANA mas bNNA II
sponsible for the revolutionary change in
national policies toward the disabled
whereby chief dependence is placed no
longer on pensions but rather on the
training of men to earn their own living
it is being generally recognized that
many more men are disabled annually in
industry than have been incapacitated by
military service 1t is the present aim
of authorities having an interest in the
cripple in general to apply to the treat
ment of the disabled civilian the same
methods as have been developed TO meet
the needs of the invalided soldier.
One of the aims of the conference will
be to direct public attention to the econ
Qmy of putting disabled men back on
the payroll rather than permitting them
to exist in idleness, supported by war
pension or workmen's compensation.
The preliminary program calls for the
discussion of specific questions at the in
dividual sessions rather than the presen-
tation of general papers covering a wide
field. All speaking will, therefore, be di-
rectly to the point under consideration
and at least half the time will be re-
served for questions and discussion from
the floor. There will be thus debated
considerable number of subjects ranging
from bedside occupations and the fitting
of artificial limbs to placement in a job
and supervising after-care.
The science of restoring disabled men
to self-support is so new that there re-
main many open questions to be profit
ably debated, One point of difference is
whether the handicapped pupil may be
more satisfactorily trained in a regular
vocational school or in a special school
or special class for the disabled. Anoth
er question to be discussed is whether re-
education should begin while the man IS
still a soldier patient in the hospital or
after discharge from the hospital and
from military service.
A training method of recent develop
ment is the placement of men in factor
les under modified apprenticeship
scheme Information regarding the work
ings of this plan will be presented by
representatives from Canada, Great Brit
ain and France,
The plans of the various allied govern
ments for the supply of artificial limbs
to amputated soldiers, is another subject
slated ioI COuhlueIdbloH' Inc advantages
of the adoption of standard type of
leg and arm will be reported upon in de-
tail
More successful results than ever be-
fore are now being attained in the deal
ing with the disabled man. The founda-
ton Of success is the correct choice for
the man of the right job, The greatest
aid in such vocational guidance has been
derived from the findings of industrial