Jack
This semester I have a class on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). I'm reading about devices and methods used in schools to accommodate children with cerebral palsy, and it is absolutely breaking my heart. I think this is mainly because in middle school, I had a classmate with cerebral palsy.
His name was Jack, and we avoided him like the plague. We were scared of him, or rather, we were scared of not knowing what to do, of being in an awkward situation. I regret so much that I never tried to talk to him, or get to know who he was on the inside. There was so much to him that we couldn't see. He was smart! He made straight A's. Of course, in middle school we told ourselves that his aide was really taking his tests for him. But I never believed that. He was more aware than we gave him credit for, as I found out one day in World History, and will never forget.
They were testing the fire alarm that day, and they warned us over the PA system. When the alarm sounded, Jack flinched noticeably in his wheelchair. It was such a sudden movement that it drew the gaze of the entire class for a moment. Afterwards, my friend who was sitting near Jack heard him ask his aide, "Did they laugh?"
Oh Meredith I too have often looked back on days when I was young and regretted how I acted/or did not act. I try to tell my children about my experiences in hopes that they learn.
Posted by: Marie on January 22, 2004 01:00 PM