The things that remain for good or bad

This week I'm looking a few things that stay in my mind for either good or bad reasons.

"Chip the Crip" and his female counter part were a thing I saw a lot of growing up because they were collection boxes for the Spastics Society, now called Scope which many of us where disabled such as myself who was classed as "Spastic" back then loathed.

The main problem was it portrayed us as helpless boys and girls who needed your handouts as non disabled people while reducing our personalities down to being just a medical case.

It isn't that things need to be done to ensure we have equality of opportunity - doors that can be easily opened and making paces easier to get around  is something that really irritates me even today - but the approach then was of exclusion having your own schools, own spaces to socialize in and so on.

As I said before I was very fortunate to have a Headmaster who help me toughen up to hold my own against abled bodied boys earning their respect rather than being a charity case that inspired me to fight from time to time attempts to place me in institutions that would of hindered my growth as person.

There's a couple of things going on within that short-lived magazines cover illustration one was how that boy is staying back to finish his work.

Unfortunately I missed out by a few years from having a "Classroom Assistant" help me get things down from the chalkboard, see to it any notes could be duplicated before the lesson as being dyslexic I not only struggle with reading but toss in holding a pen and spelling it makes taking notes old school a real pain.

The other thing is although the language used tends to be frowned upon in disability activist circles, the magazine did show disabled people learning to find their place in society and achieve things when the only place for many of  us after leaving school would be a Day Care Centre rather than study or employment.

Teddy Bear Picnics were more my idea of fun for a very long time with lots of space for ones imagination something that lasted with me until my time in the sixth which was very out of sync with my peers by that stage.

It was just an indication of how permanently in that time parts of me were and for that matter remain