Times-Advocate, 1987-02-04, Page 12Times -Advocate, l'ebruary 4, 1987
ATTENTIVE AUDIENCE - - Grade 7 and 8 students gave Gerald Gackstetter their full attention as he
told there how diabetes had affected his health and how he was learning to cope with blindness.
Special progra
%%'hat's it like to live with a disabilr
ty". How can we help those who are -
physically or mentally handicapped
The students in grades seven and
-eight al 1 tensalt Public� School are get-
ting first-hand answers to those ques-
Iic►ns through a unique and unforget-
table language unit on the disabled.
People in this community who are
coping with medical disorders such
Kimberly wears one in each ear.
During school hours. kindergarten
teacher ,loyee Preszcator wears a
clip -on mike which amplifies her
%like. This is -picked up bya receiver
strapped to Kimberly's waist and
plugged into her hearing aid. •
Kimberly attends an. auditory -
verbal therapy program once a week
in Toronto with her mother. This pro -
then described 'how he is adjusting
%vitt) the help of the CNIB. He
demonstrated his collapsible cane.
and told about the talking clock and
--talking- books. all supplied by the
CNIB.
Gackstetter will continue his
lessons in finding his way around out-
side when the return of good weather
makes walking less hazardous. Ile
joked about often heading up the
wrong driveway last year, and men-
tioned windchimes as an excellent
means of audible house identification
for someone who is blind.
Gackstetter shocked his young
listeners with the revelation he is no
longer able to urinate. All liquid he
drinks is retained :until the next
dialysis session.
"I can lose weight really fast", he
laughed.
Gackstetter suggested two ways
people like himself can be helped: ot-
ter a helping hand it you see a blind
person trying to cross a street, and
sign an organ donation card or the ap-
propriate section of -your driver's
licence.
Pam Scotchmer, a victim of multi -
i
TEACHING AID — Principal Dave Kemp demonstrates how a Language -Master works after Bonnie
Rowcliffe (centre) told grade 7 and 8 students about the speech difficulties being experienced by her. son.
alters attitudes
The petite young woman has trou-
ble -reaching- anything high, avoids
escalators and revolving doors, and
finds she can't get round as easily in
winter. On the other hand, she has
seen great improvement in the last
few years in facilities like ramps and
railings on public buildings, and
designated parking at sites such as
shopping centres, airports, and public
halls, which make fife easier for the
physically disabled. More seating in
shopping malls would be helpful, she
said noting the shortage of recrea
tionaly facilities for the handicapped
in small places like Hensall.
Cindy receives a permanent -
disability pension.
In reply to a question about what
tvould happen if she drank alcohol.
she said she does not drink. as she is
afraid of what impairment might do
to someone who depends on -Crutches
to get aroptnd.
Cindy said she wants to be treated
the same as anyone else. She ap-
preciates a friendly smile. or the
courtesy of having a heavy door open-
ed for her.
Bonnie Itowcliffe was at the school
•
REVEALING Joyce Preszcator talks to grades 7 and 8 Hensall
students taking the language unit on the disabled about her mental-
ly- handicapped sister.
diabetes and multiple sclerosis, -.and
others caring for a deaf child .or a
mentally handicaple(t sister are com-
ing to the school to "tell it like. it is".
The common thread running
through all accounts is an up -beat at
titude. a complete lack of self-pity.
and a philosophy thal lite is good. and
its quality enhanced. by living one
day a( a time.
All guest speakers sl resse(lthe rn►
por•tance of others', tolerance and
understanding.
Principal Dave Kemp first conceiv-
e(1 the idea oI a unit on the handicap-
ped when a hearing-impaired child
registered Icy begin kindergarten Iasi
gram teaches the parents how to work
with the child. to improve- speech.
Mother and daughter practice the ex- .
ercises each night . -
Sheryl said family members
understand most of what Kimberly
says, adding •'her speech.has come a
long way. and has a long way to go".
She attributed 50 percent of the credit
for_successfully integrating a hearing- -
disabled child into a regular
classroom to the support of school
staff. noting that "Ilensall has been
wonderiul''.. Sheryl placed respon-
sibility for the other 511 percent with
the child's family.
Sheryl gave some pointers on talk-
t� UVAM (mo i IS .. . N,
Assumption a deaf child
can't learn is wrong
_September. Another student Inas a -
speech problem. r The goal oI 1Is pro-'
ject is to make the students more
aware oI people in this community
with disabilities. :fleeting fellow
humans with handicaps face to lace
results in an awareness we are all
part of the humin family: the only
difference is that some of these
fleshly bodies we inhabit don't lune-
lion as well as others. The embarrass-
ment o1 not knowing how to acyl is
replaced with the confidence of know
ing how and when 10 otter help.
Sheryl Forrest was one of the 1u•st
of the guest speakers I ler daughter
Kimberly is the hearing-impaired
child now attending kindergarten.
Students were surprised to learn
that one baby in LIMO is horn with a
serious hearing disability. and one in
111 develops a hearing impairment
later.
. Sheryl explained that the assum4►-
tion.a deal child can't learn is wrong.
However. early diagnosis is very im-
px►rtanl for language development.
Newborn babies can now be filled
with hearing aids.
ing 10 a hearing-impaired person: Try
to be close: about two feel away is
ideal. Be sure to face the other per-
son so he can read your lips.
Speak clearly., Don't shout.
Eliminate as much background
noise as possible.
It- you don't understand what he
said. say "pardon" and ask him to
repeal it. If you still don't understand.
say "what (lo you mean?" or ask him
to show you.
'If the (rearing -impaired person
doesn't understand what you are say-
ing. try to rephrase your remark and
say in another way.
Although he could not see the
response. Gerald Gackstetter from
Exeter had an attentive audience as
he described the progressive ravages
of the diabetes which finally robbed
hire of his sight almost tw(iyears ago.
Gackstetter told of the two failed
kidney transplants and the years of
thrice -weekly dialysis since his
(Iisc'm.se was diagnosed in 1967 when
he was 24.
Gackstetter admitted being
depressed when he first went blind,
PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATION - Area resource teacher Beth
McGee gives students a demonstration of the difficulties faced by
those with learning disabilities by asking them to use a foreign
language.
(
HOMEWORK — Sheryl Forrest and daughter
hearing-impaired, practice auditory -verbal therapy.
Kimberly, who is
ple sclerosis. also made a strong im-
pression en the students. Pain
brought along a -chart of the body's
nervous system. She showed how her
disease attacks the nerve coatings
around thespinal cord. disrupting the
signals sent out by the brain. Symp-
toms include tremors. unsteady walk-
ing because balance is affected, still-
ness. unpaired vision. numbness,
paralysis, and fatigue. Though not a
killer. the disease is progressive.
Pam said multiple sclerosis is the
most common disease of the nervous
system diagnosed among adults bet-
ween the ages of 20 and 40 in Canada.
When asked how she coped with her
disability, Pam said she takes one day
at a time. does what she can. and
leaves the rest. She singled out the im-
portance of helpful friends who make
one feel good about one's self as one
of her greatest helps.
A positive outlook came second.
"Smile and keep going. The aller-
natiye is death, so why not enjoy life
while you are alive", was the way she
summed up her coping strategy.
Cindy Bisback, now 26. returned to
her old school to answer questions
about cerebral palsy, which is caus-
ed by a lack of oxygen to the brain at
birth. She told the students she had
the same day as Cindy, to discuss the
speech handicap of her son Chris. who
is in grade one.
Chris. like Cindy. was a premature
baby. In his short life he has been
through eight operations including
three on his eyes and two on his ears.
The child has a hearing loss as well
as problems with his fine motor skills.
but doctors are not sure why Chris is
not talking. Ile talked as a baby then
stopped. r ,
Chris spent three years at the
Thames Valley treatment centre for
children learning sign language.
Bonnie explained that Chris hits
other kids to get their attention. Ile
becomes very frustrated when he
knows what he wants to say, and can't
say it.
Chris is a sports enthusiast :
hockey, baseball and wrestling are
his favourites.
At school. Chris practices speech
improvement with a Language -
Master. This machine activates a
strip of tape to allow a person to hear
a word pronounced properly. and then
play back his own voice saying the
same word.
Bonnie said she expects other
children to treat Chris the same as
Multiple sclerosis
strikes many
young adults
weighed only a little over three
pounds when born two months
prematurely.
Cindy has progressed from braces
and a wheelchair toarutches, and en-
dured operations which cut and stret-
ched her leg muscles, and straighten-
ed her feet.
She considers herself much luckier
than many others she encountered al
the treatment centre where she
underwent therapy three times a
week until she wa/18. (She also at-
tend nursery school at the centre. )
Cindy noted The high cost of the
braces she'once wore. Often a pair
costing hundreds of dollars would be
outgrown and useless in a few
months.
(
they would any child. She said' the ex-
perts have held out the hope Chris'
speech will continue to improve, and
he is now progressing more quickly
than_predicted.
Some of the information about the
• handicapped came from those close-
ly associated with them. McCurdy
vice-principal Ila Mathers, a special
education teacher. introduced the
students via video tape to a multihan-
dicapped boy who will be entering
grade nine at SIIDHS along with the
current grades eights from Ifensall.
Mrs. Mathers pointed out that han-
dicaps can be present from birth. or
could be caused later by accidents.
She said children like Joey were part
of society and hada right to be part
of the school systems, but needed ex-
tra support. She hoped lo shape at-
titudes so the lfensall students will he -
comfortable il`Joey is in their home�
room next year.
The students will get the chance to
meet Joey in person, as a visit to
Huron Hope School is part of the pro-
gram on the disabled.
Teacher Joyce Preszcator slipped
into the role of guest speaker 10 talk
disabilities, one in 20 is afflicted with
some form ofsevere learning -han-
dicap, and many more experience'
minor difficulties, Mrs. McGee told
-the class. Disorders may be visual;
auditory or kinesthetic: children may
have trouble understanding what they
-see or hear. with writing things down,
or in developing a learning style.
Often this "invisible". disability is
only revealed through special tests.
The students were given a few
Learning disorders are
'invisible' disabilities
"fYA 2' ':K > S at":.e: o :;;r: ;o," .>8:6xM Yt "s?s: ytrL 'it •'.>3M;`:Yt `..'.
about her. mentally handicapped -
sister Gloria. A borderline Mongoloid.
Gloria lived with her parents until -two
and one -halt years ago when she
came to live with the Pre:szcalors. She
opted to move into the group home on
John Sl. in Exeter when a vacanct
occurred.
Joyce revealed some of the fiscal
regulations -Kr -raining to mentally
handicapped people receiving mon-
thly benefits from the provincial
ministry of community and social ser-
vices. In order to qualify, a recipient
must prove need. 'Those living at
home do not receive as large a che-
que as group home. residents. -
Anyone with over $3.000 in her hank
account gets nothing until the balance
is . reduced to the stipulated
maximum.
Gloria lost her benefits on receipt
of a small legacy from her parents.
Her last cheque, in 1984. was for $491.
Since then•she has been paying $b85
a month to live at the John St.
residence. She gets back $77 each
month. This, plus the approximately
$15 she earns monthly at ARC In-
dustries, is to pay for all clothing.
toiletries, holidays, snacks and
entertainment. . .
As Gloria's bank account is now
back down to the magic number.
Joyce has applied to have her sister's
benefits reinstated.
Joyce did not conceal her concern
that people in Gloria's position are
restricted to a further $1,900 to be put
aside for funeral expenses. She feels
that•paltry sum is inadequate: even
a modest funeral coals in the range of
$2,500 to $3,500.
minutes to - hear a new verbal
vocabulary before trying to translate
sentences spoken in the new
language. A similar experiment was
done using graphics rather than
sounds. They also tried signing their
names while swinging the left foot in
a wide circle.
By observing the _students.with the -
assistance of resource teacher
Marilyn 'Taylor. Mrs. McGee was
able to pinpoint which students learn-
ed best by seeing material, which by
hearing. and whichones by becoming
actively involved. ( Some were shown
to definitely belong in one of the three.
categories, and others were equally
adept in more than one area.)
Mrs. McGee said if a student learns
by hearing, then staring at a book for
five hours will be fruitless. That child
should read the lesson material into
a tape recorder, and play it back.
"How would you like the frustation
of getting hits and pieces every day
and not being able to put it all
together? What if it took you twice as
long to write something down, and the
teacher then told you to do it over
again because it was too messy?"
Mrs. McGee asked.
Mrs. McGee said the schools are
not equipped to handle: severe learn-
ing disabilities. Children handicapped
in this way receive the extra help they
need at one of two residential schools
in the province.
Besides the guest speakers, the unit
on the disabled has provided
autobiographies•and biographies -on
people who have risen Above their
handicaps. Visits are planned to ARC
Industries and the Queensway Nurs-
AT FIRST HAND -- Cindy Bisback came to Hensall Public School to
tell grade 7 and 8 students how cerebral palsy hos affected her life.
She was one of a number -of speakers participating in a language .
unit on the disabled.
Aside from that quibble. Joyce said
our government has done a great deal
to make her sister comfortable.
Joyce told the students that though
Gloria has difficulty managing
money, she loves to cook, and could
give anyone lessons In caring for
one's room and organizing one's
drawers. She also enjoys movies and
bowling.
Joyce said others can make life
easier for the mentally handicapped
by just accepting them for what they
are. -
Area resource teacher Beth McGee
approached the subject from another
angle. She provided some exercises
that gave students a glimpse into the
world of learning disabilities. Though •
not immediately as obvious as bliAd-
ness, lameness or other physical
ing Home as well as the Huron Hope
School in Iluron Park.
The program has already changed
the students' perceptions about the ,
handicapped. They appreciated the
candour of those who came to the
school and opened themselves to all
the students' questions. Although con-
fessing to initial nervousness, one
grade eight boy said "once we get
talking, we realize itis just another
person".
Students said they have learned not
to stare, to be more compassionate
and more will to donate to charities,
and now see the unfairness of treating
someone with a disability like a lower
class of human.
One student spoke for all when he
said "People with handicaps inspire
others".
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