Evening star., 1936-11-22
1,l5l Crippled D. c. Children
Fighting for Right to Lipe
Group, Headed by Mrs.
Crayson, attacks Prob
len, of Need.
BY JESSIE FAINT EVANS.

the Crippled Children Society of the
District OF Columbia, under leadership
Of Mrs. Cary Grayson, is calling at
tention to the fact that here in WASH
ington are some 1,l5l physically ham
dicapped children.
OF these many were found to be
receiving no medical care at all. Who's
TO blame? No one. 1t apparently
isn't the fault Of any agency or OF
any individual. It's just problem
to be met, and this society is address,
ing itself to it as a sort of laison
group and general motivating unit
In an attempt to do job that has
been overlooked and for which there
are at present no specific funds.
Parents in almost every instance have
been wonderful in the adjustments
that they have tried to make to
cruel fate. "They have been and are
patient with something that almost
amounts to the sublimity of the in
finite" Mrs. Grayson and those as
sociated with her In this endeavor
will tell you. They have been doing
the best that they could unaided be-
cause they have long ago spent their
all and are unaware that here In their
very midst are facilities which might
be motivated to function for them.
Often there Is q fierce pride as tender
as it is protective which Shuns
charity" and has to be gradually
helped to an understanding of the
grace that there Is in receiving, If
they would realize their hopes and
dreams for their little handicapped
ones.
Efforts Of Parents.
Miss Mary L. Radford, assistant in
charge Of the case work which is
being done by this society. informed
me that in all Of the families whom
she had interviewed, out Of the l,151
there had only been a solitary in
stance where parent wasn't shoulder
ing the responsibility and burden as
wisely as was within her power, no
matter how tragic or futile the load.
In this particular exception, a mother
spoke Of having to keep a once adored
little boy out of his fathers sight as
much as possible, because the tapping
Of the little fellows crutches nearly
drove his father crazy" think I
understand the fathers reaction, and
II he will permit me want to 60 talk
to him some time out of the depths Of
my own experience For I remember
how or Is months when our older son
faced the prospect Of using crutches,
in sort of desperate litany. over and
over I prayed. "Oh, God. please,
please. don't let him have to use
crutches."
This survey has brought out, too,
that many out of this group of Isl
children were using eutgrown crutches
or wrong shoes, which we're doing
more harm than good. Certain ones,
1t was found, badly needed braces
o rthe refitting old ones.
In numerous instances 1t was also
} apparent that there might be q lib
Grafton in the home from the bondage
OF one room if a wheel chair were
availab BILE. I was told of the joy that
one little girl had in sitting in such
. chair beside her mother at their
kitchen sink. helping dry the dishes
after meal times. learned, too, of
what it had meant to discouraged
fathers to be helped with the financing
Of ramp ian inclined runway from
one level to another), which in the
case Of many physically handicapped
older children to whom steps are
an impossibility, means the difference
between being house.bound or able
to get out of doors without having to
"bother" any one.
As to the cost OF the kind of "hard-
ware" that Is part of the needed
braces, or of the nicely of the ad-
justment involved and the resulting
expense, Mrs. Grayson and those as
sociated with her in the Crippled
Children Society will tell you, THE
average person naturally has little
conception" "One way of bringing
1t home" they add, will be for YOU
to go into your favorite hardware
shop and figure up for yourself the
quickly mounting cost of just a few
OF your pet gadgets. Then to stop
and try to visualize how expensive
the braces and special shoes into
which they must be fitted, often have
to be, in order that certain weak
muscles may be helped to perform
their function" "One must remem-
ber, too," they explain. "the frequent
adjustments that must be made with
growing children and the new shoes
that have to be provided, sometimes,
1t seems, even before the old ones
have scarcely been worn"
Others More Expensive.
shoulder. back neck and abdom-
inal braces" they add, ARE sometimes
even more expensive than the foot
and leg braces, because of their in
tricacy."
Neither Is it possible to imagine, /"
they emphasize, "the time that goes
Into the trying on and the fitting
that are properly necessary for such
orthopedic aids and appliances, or of
the transportation problems that are
part Of securing them, even when
ability to secure them Is not the
major problem that it Is in the great
majority Of these cases."
It has also been brought to light
that among this group there are Ger.
tain ones who lack the proper foos
TO help them overcome their disabili.
ties. For instance, was told by Mis-.
Radford that only the other day .
little fellow was brought into q clini,
Ut the Children's Hospital hy q poo
dragged-down, yet self-respecting
mother with q request that the!
"please help her do something abou
Jimmy's club foot" DR.. Gusts Le
Hall, who was giving his services a
this particular hour. said as he turnet
the little foot about. why Jimm.
hasn't q club foot. All we will meet
to do here, will be to put him into ,
special shoe and to fatten him up .
much as possible by Christmas time
% that maybe by and by Jimmy won
even need a special shoe" The shoe
that tiny Jimmy had on came from
At,,,A storn and would have SiIf1iced 4