Reading

I forgot to say 'thanks'.

I'm kicking myself for bungling the moment, for being thoughtless.

Last week I was in Frankenmuth giving a one day workshop to teachers and Friday I was in Sudbury giving a workshop to teacher's assistants. Each day went fine, I suppose, but on the drive home today it hit me. Damn. Blast. I didn't say, "thanks".

A few years ago I did a self advocate workshop in a small town here in Ontario. The group that came together was odd. Half of them were all adults well over 40, half of them were kids from the school all under twenty. We met in a tumble down Legion hall with walls painted with nicotene and the tables - like the members I imagined - were on their last legs. But despite the smell of stale smoke and beer we gathered as a group.

During the workshop I have people with disabilities come to the front to read each of the points on my flip chart. As they come up, we applaud, when they finish, we applaud. As I asked for the first volunteer to come up I looked over the group. They had clearly separated themselves by age, the old folks looking warily at the youth, the youth looking distainfully at their elders - predictable and normal. But age was not the only distinction.

Community - Institution

Always free - Mostly Caged

Expectation - Resignation

and, of course, like all old and young -

Excited - Tired

But there was something else. Something that I didn't notice until Joe brought it up at break. "Have you noticed," he asked, "all the kids can read and none of the adults can." He was right. I hadn't noticed. Sure I'd seen that it was only the kids that volunteered but I had assumed (never do that) that the adults were just letting the kids go up. After break, I watched, sure enough I could see that the older guys wanted to come up but they couldn't. They'd been passed over, thought unable they weren't taught.

I wonder what they thought, those older folks, when they saw the youngsters get up and read. I wonder if they realized what had been denied them. I wonder if a small part of them was angry, jealous, at the opportunties that had been given to kids borne into eductation.

What a fight it was, do you remember, for the right of kids with disabilities to recieve a real education. Flowing kids with disabilities from the tributaries of bias into the mainstream of expectaions was not easy - but by gum it mattered. Those kids could get up in front of a group of people and read. With confidence. With understanding. With comprehension.

It was such a huge moment for me. To see that community mattered, really mattered.

And I forgot to say 'thanks'.

Those teachers, those aides, those people who made it possible for school to happen. For kids to learn. For a new generation to have new skills.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

I know the problems with schools, the difficult fights parents have and had, the constant battles with archaic systems and disphobic personelle.

I know. I know. I know.

But they could read.

Read.

So, I want to say, to any teacher, to any teacher's aide ...

"Thanks."