There is a death notice

in today's paper for one of my former students from the Spastic Centre. He was one of the merry band of supposedly non-communicating 'kids' I was given because nobody else wanted them. These days he would be dumped at the back of an 'integrated' classroom and treated as some sort of pet whenever anyone remembered he was there. I wonder how his parents feel - both sadness and relief I suspect. His was not a comfortable life but he was their son and they loved him dearly.
I am not sure where people like Hop fit into the system now there are no special schools but, back then, we did just fine. He could indicate 'yes' and 'no' - eyes to the ceiling, eyes to the floor - so I set about finding what else he knew. It was not a lot. He was not the smartest kid on the block by any means.
I know the rest of the staff thought I was crazy. They all took the attitude 'these kids can't learn much'. It may have been true. I don't know. They could learn something. Hop could learn something. We started with two pictures - his mother on one side of his wheelchair tray and the toilet on the other. Toilet training achieved in a week. Any accidents were the staff not believing he could indicate the need. We went from that to his father, his sister, the family car, his dog, his beloved football team and a few more obvious things. It took a while.
His mother told me he was happier and easier to handle. Sbe was happier. It did not take much, just a few words.
I lost touch with Hop and all but one of the other children when I left the school. It does not do to try and revisit such places - and that one no longer exists. Now children like these are scattered through the rest of the education system. "Everyone" says they are in the right place. I am not sure who "Everyone" is as I have never met him or her. I am sure they mean well but parents tell me that their children are not learning.
Hop did not learn a lot but he did learn something. It meant he could have the dignity of underpants and that he could tell you he was a Crows supporter. Those things are important. And, he was smart enough to tease me about the fact that I do not support a football team!