For John, Micheal, Timmy, Jennifer, Shawn, Lucy and All the Others
Recently, I read the book, Rosemary, The Hidden Kennedy Daughter. written by Kate Clifford Larson. The author explores Rosemary's life before and after her lobotomy. I include this reference in this post to remind us all how powerful attitudes can be in affecting people's lives, for better or worse. These attitudes affect how we view people in society. These attitudes affect how we build the social fabric of our lives....our homes, our educational system, our medical care systems, our judicial system, etc. It seems that we are at a turning point in our history. Let's move forward, not backward.
During the early 1900's when Rosemary was born, people with disabilities were locked away in institutions which essentially warehoused them in unsafe and unsanitary conditions. Today, there are none of these institutions left in America (hopefully, that we are aware of!). Rosemary's parents, Joseph and Rose Kennedy, realized early in her life that she was not developing normally. We all know that the Kennedy family was, and is, an influential family with political ambitions. Rosemary's early schooling presented many challenges for both her and her parents. For her, school was a place where she experienced academic and social failure and was frustrated when teachers continued to try to teach her academics. And likewise, teachers were frustrated with both her lack of academic progress and her increasingly difficult behavior. For her parents, her lack of progress was an embarrassment and presented possible roadblocks to their own aspirations and reputation. She was relegated to a series of residential schools, with little progress made. As she grew older, her immature behavior was a concern for her father, who decided to submit her to doctors who were experimenting with a form of neurosurgery that they claimed 'cured' unwanted behaviors that some people displayed and didn't respond to 'normal' interventions to change their behaviors. The lobotomy rendered her physically and mentally worse than she was before. She required extensive speech and physical therapy and around the clock care for basic everyday activities for the rest of her life. No matter......... the Kennedys could afford to buy her the best residential care. She was sent away again to live out her life where she wouldn't disrupt their social and political lives. The Kennedys went about their privileged life separate from Rosemary.
Negative attitudes have shaped this country's treatment of people with disabilities. From shunning, to warehousing, to forced medical treatments such as lobotomies and sterilization, to segregation. We continue to hear myths about people with disabilities. We continue to struggle today. However, we have made much progress, progress that was championed by the Kennedys themselves. Following Rosemary's lobotomy, some of her siblings realized that Rosemary was no longer really connected to the family. They saw her less and less. Thus began their many years of speaking out on behalf of all children with disabilities. The Kennedys championed The Special Olympics and landmark legislation that provided appropriate living and educational opportunities for children with disabilities. The heartache, the irreversible effects of a forced lobotomy, the difficult life that was Rosemary's could not be undone for her, but changing social attitudes and promoting legislation that would open doors of opportunity for all the future Rosemarys became a lifelong mission for some of the Kennedys.
Let's examine progress made regarding the education of individuals with disabilities. We have gone from hiding them away to segregated opportunities to the legal right to attend public school and be provided a 'free appropriate PUBLIC education' (FAPE). During her confirmation hearings, Betsy DeVos reportedly lacked an understanding of The Individuals With Disabilities Act (IDEA) which provides one of the legal bases for special education today. She has a steep learning curve as she takes on the federal leadership position for America's public education which includes FAPE for students with disabilities in the 'least restrictive setting'. We can't go back to institutionalization. We can't go back to hiding students in 'private schools'. We can't go back segregated spaces and/or classrooms in public schools, ie. spaces that are 'left over' after all other 'regular' education needs are met. We just can't go back. Jeff Sessions, Trump's new Attorney General, has an obligation to enforce all of the 'settled laws' related to special education, as well as all other 'settled laws'. He has an obligation to lend a guiding hand to those who are unfamiliar with these 'settled laws'. It seems like he will be mentoring many newly elected and appointed cabinet members and advisors.
Several of the following posts are just my personal career experiences with special education. Every teacher has his/her stories they could share.
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