KA MUTU PEA I TE KAINGAKAUNUITIA

Te Ao Hou, April 1958, Page 53

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carelessness causing physical defects. Most of them could have been avoided. The World Health Organisation states: “Every child has the right to expect the greatest possible protection against-the occurrence of preventable physical handicaps during and after birth.” It is in the home that many of these unfortunate mishaps can be checked. Think of Carol whose mother ran away from her sacred duties, of Kiwi the neglected, and Lilly the sexually frightened. Not only have these children lost one of their senses, but, in addition, they are deprived of essential parental care. In New Zealand the authorities require the blind and deaf to be admitted and diagnosed even at the early age of three or four years, so that specialised and continuous training may be carried out, and although one may see the danger in depriving the child of parental love, parents should not be left to struggle alone with the problems raised by a defective child or attempt to reassure themselves that the child is really normal or “will grow out of it”: it is not in the interests either of the child, the family, or society. These institutions provide, as far as possible, the conditions which allow children full development, physically, emotionally and intellectually. They are divided into small units in which there are sufficient staff to enable the children to have satisfactory parental substitutes. If one suspects anything wrong, such as partial blindness or deafness, one should not hesitate to refer the child to specialised care, for the longer it is delayed the more detrimental it becomes to the child. Sometimes a child is thought to be subnormal because he is backward in his school work, when his only requirements are a set of spectacles or a hearing aid. The doctor, school-teacher or district nurse can help in such cases. Children who cannot hear or see are really handicapped: they are constantly reminded of their defects so that they experience far more emotional upsets than the normal person, yet every child has the right to develop his potentialities to the maximum and as much right as anyone to live a full life. This implies that all children, irrespective of whether or not they suffer from emotional or physical handicaps, should have ready access to the best medical treatment, education, vocational preparation and employment. It is the duty of parents and social welfare workers to educate and train defective children so that they are able to satisfy fully the needs of their own personalities and become as far as possible independent and useful members of the community.