Milford chronicle., 1936-04-03
1000 CHILDREN
DECLARED TOBE
HANDICAPPED
[Conlinned from ~ Pagel

=
are over 1000 handicapped children
in the Delaware public schools, is
reasonably conservative"
Glasses Established
Special classes for the physically
and mentally handicapped school
children are firmly established in
the Delaware public school system,
DR.. Wallin's report shows, hut are
in need of further development.
Among the recommendations in
DR.. Wallin's report is a warning
that mentally deficient children who
have not become social or behavior
problems, should not be transferred
to state institution but should be
allowed to continue to live at home
with home influences and surround
ings.
Schools HIuSt Be Agency
zone of the most important first
steps in a program of training for
mentally handicapped children" DR..
Wallin suggests. rs to clarity our
concepts upon The question of what
agency must assume the primary re-
spOnsibility Tor their education. This
agency must he the public schools.
ITO peremptOrily transfer men
tally defective children from the
public schools to state colony,
with or without the consent of the
parents, would constitute an unwar-
ranted Infringement of personal
rights and the adoption of a public
policy that is indefensible, not only
from the point Of view of the stag
gering burden Of cost that will he
imposed upon the state in the years
to come, but also from the social
and humanitarian point of view.
ut is VIGOROUSLY true that
throughout the country large num-
hers of children have been incarcer-
ated i'm institutions as feeble-minded J
on the basis of vague, elastic, mad |
missible, and sometimes prepOster-
GUS standards of mental defective
ness and once having been so admit /
ted many of these children have (
been forced 90 remain in the institu-
ton for life"
DR.. Wallin states he has been in
strumental in securing the release
of some children of this type from
who never should have
been committed, some of whom have
later finished the elementary schools
some have gone through high
school, and one entered college and
made a good record.
zone of the functions of public
school special classes" DR.. Wallin
lis to prevent such pal
pable injustices to the individual or
to the taxpayer who must bear the
burden of support. 1t is gradually
becoming recognized that many n.y.
pOphrenics, as well as psychOtics.
can be adequated cared for in so
ciety and are not in need of insti-
tutional Incarceration. They can be
handled at large i'm society at far
less expense than in institutions
the threat of social menace.
rhe excessive cost of institutional
cation concerns the constantly in !
reasing cost of maintenance rather
han the initial cost of the plant and {
Mental detectives who do
OF require colonization for social S
nd economic reasons should be sup
Orted by the parents at home and
e provided with On economic and |
ncient program of special educa- Z
on in the public schools" e
State Subsidies Suggested
DR.. Wallin also suggests that state
lbsidies should be available for the
lDDOrt of SDecial classes,
"Such subsidies" he adds, might
Ike the form of an appropriation
n special equipment and supplies !,
nd salary dinierentials for properly :,
aimed and successful special-class "
,achers who are teaching in ap- I
roved special classes organized in y
lnfOrmity with the rules and regu- V
.tions formulated by the depart =.
ent of public instruction. Expert -
ice in other states has shown with NJ,
ngular uniformity that it is very 81
ficult to secure properly trained =;
teachers without the -,
lyment of a reasonable differential. =.
lbsidies for salary differential ~ ~
IOuld be available for all of the a. a.
hoOl districts i'm which the spe- a.
al classes have been organized in ~ ~
cordance with the state require ~
ents." 80
Some Recommendation ~
other recommendations by DR.. go
allin are: Nc n"
programs for handi- y" VIC
Dped children financed by the de- ~
rtment Of public instruction in m
ni-private institutions. such as -,
, Sunny Brook Cottage. should be ~
der the supervision of the divi- To- o
n of special education and mental '0'
giene. Work undertaken on be-
# of crippled children under the
.ional security act should also be
ninistered by this division.
logically the disbursement of the eili
islative appropriation for the WI
Ication of blind and deaf children y
Iuld be administered by the di- oo6
ion of special education and mem ~ NV
hygiene of the State Department -"
Public Instruction. \