& The Statesman, Salem, Ortgon. Sunday. August 29. 1913
Five Years of Mork Under -Oregon Plan"
For Aid to State's Haridicapp ed Children ;
Leave Marked Results In Many Fields
(rimer KaU: TTra yean ara,
Otera pwt tat affect a aw law
f r tk ear a edacaUoa ot
' ate cUMm that feaa a - ;
M Iw forwax-Ioki . peraoaa
taxaacnaot taa natta. Hew that
law operates- la explain tatwe
articles wrtttaa ay a staff writer af
Th Orvgoa Statesstaa. Taa first
at follawa.) i
'""
By Marraerlte vHttwer Wright
Staff Writer. The Statesman s
The Spartans systematically
killed their physically imperfect
citizens; Roman lathers had a le
gal right to destroy an unpleas
IrLg baby; some American Indians
abandoned their disabled; in India
the handicapped were drowned in
' the Ganges, and some Eskimos ate
their aged and otherwise incapa-
' ble relatives.
Western civilization is more hu
mane In its treatment of its youth
ful lame, the halt and the blind;
but all too often care ends with
attention to physical wants.
Oreron Pointing- the Way
Throughout much of the United
States, physically handicapped
Children are allowed to exist in
Institutions, segregated from their
- snore fortunate contemporaries.
They are fed and clothed and
sometimes taught broom-making
. .r rug-weaving. They are kept
alive but they are lost from the
mainstream of life and some may
wish euthanasia was legal, while
society smugly imagines it is do
ing its Christian duty by them.
Not so in Oregon. If the quality
pf civilization may be measured
by its efforts to conserve the pre
cious, intangible wealth of the hu
man spirit, then this state - -through
a law passed in 1941 - -is
pointing the way for all America
toward a more enlightened social
conscience.
All Given Opportunity
For in Oregon, "exceptional'
children are not set apart as freak
ish exhibits. A group of mothers.
Clubwomen and interested law
makers convinced the legislature
that the blind, the deaf, the emo
tionally maladjusted, the crippled
Cid those of defective speech or
w vitality should be given ev
ery -opportunity to live and learn.
v.;
This smiling lassie at her desk at the Union Title company office
wes part of that smile to Oregon's program for the education of
handicapped children. She ts Beverly Hutchinson, 639 N. 15th st,
who was graduated with her clas? in Salem high school last June
despite injuries from a May, 1946, auto accident which kept her
at off school for IS months. Now. she's looking- forward to her
year at Willamette university, majoring- in music.
play and work as nearly alike and
with other members of their age
groups.
Thus, the basic assumption of
the "Oregon plan" is that every
child is entitled to education in so
far as he is capable of profiting
therefrom.
A little girl who used to sit
propped up by her bedroom win
dow watching the other children
on their way to school became the
impulse which culminated in the
Oregon plan. The sight of that
wistful youngster haunted State
Rep. Harvey Wells for years. So
the white-haired Portland insur
ance man, who often drove his
grandchildren past the house to
school, finally introduced himself
to the child's mother and learned
her story. v ;-
Wells Sets to Work - -
The nine-year-old was a spastic
- she was unable to control her
motions and her dearest wish
was to be able to go to school like
other children. But there were no
provisions for exceptional chil
dren In the public schools, and the
Institutionalized youngsters re
ceived little or no education. '
That started Harvey Wells
thinking. As dean of the Oregon
legislature, secretary of the Shrin
ers' hospital for crippled children
for 22. years and president of the
Oregon Humane society, he was in
a position to help the eager little
girl. .. ' .-
He took it upon himself to get
first-hand information about the
number of handicapped children
in Oregon who were deprived of
schooling. And soon he found he
was not alone in his interest on
their behalf.
Mathers Urge Program
First, there were the mothers -thousands
of them, unorganized
and unaware of their potential
power. Then there were the wom
en's clubs and Parent-Teacher as
sociations and other groups itch
ing for a sound campaign.
Representative Wells and Dr.
Vernon Bain, then with the state
department of public education,
collaborated In writing the bill.
Mrs. Charles Robison, wife of a
Portland attorney and leader in
the Portland Federation of Wom
en's Organizations (representing
76 clubs), was active in organiz
ing the mothers' lobby.
Gov. Charles A. Sprague secured
the women a hearing before the
V
Dr. S. A.
Uhealley
Optometrist
Formerly with
Morris Optical Co.
Now Located at
167 So. High St.
Phone 2-4469
appropriations committee. It was,
Mrs. Robison said, the first rec
ognition of the state's responsibil
ity toward crippled children.
Legislature Gets Problem
Then, kindly, respected Harvey
Wells presented the problem of
the handicapped tots to the assem
bled representatives of the people
of Oregon.
- And in the gallery sat the moth'
era. They had come from every
part of the state, brought to Salem
by their PTA, Business and Pro
fessional Women's clubs, the Uni
versity of Oregon Mothers' clubs
and other groups.
There was hardly a dry eye In
the legislature. Wells recalls.
The only opposition was the cost
of a state-wide program, but the
lawmakers realized the parents of
handicapped children are taxpay
ers and that there was no moral
justification for withholding edu
cational opportunities for their
young. The measure passed unan
imously. The program set up by that law
has now been in operation five
years and reports from many sour
ces indicate that the Oregon plan
is working remarkably well - ex
cept in the field which Inspired it:
The education of spastic children.
Expansion Held Vital
The nature of the illness and
difficulty of treatment evidently
have prevented further progress
in the rehabilitation and education
of these unfortunates. Much work
with spastica Is being done at the
Grout school and the Shriners
hospital in Portland. The Univer
sity of Oregon medical school and
the Society for Crippled Children
and Adults In Eugene also are ac-
Truman Enters
Oklaho
ma on
Tour Agenda
. By D. Harold Oliver - '
WASHINGTON, Aug. 28
President Truman's political asso
ciates have reported he will in'
vade the "border" state of Oklaho
ma during what was described as
an unprecedented election cam
paign tour of the nation starting
labor day.
Gov. Roy J. Turner of Oklaho
ma, head of the national Truman
Berkley dub, told a news confer
ence that tentative plans call for
Mr. Truman to appear in several
cities in Oklahoma sometime be
tween Sept 27 and Oct. 3. The
trip may cover two days. A state
tive in the field. But the program
for rehabilitating -these children
must be expanded and intensified,
Mrs. Robison . believes, and her or
ganization il attempting to follow
up its pioneer work.
The. only state domiciliary in
stitution that deals with spastic
is the Fairview, home for the feeble-minded
in Salem.. However,
only those whose IQ comes below
85 are admitted and attempts to
educate them are limited by their
own mentality. Dr. O. L. Calli
crate, assistant superintendent,
said.
(Tuesday Key Is Cooperation)
MB BATES TO EUROPE I1EDDC1
EFFECTIVE SEPT. 25th AIR RATES TO EUROPE
REDUCED TO ONE AND THIRD
With a sarin of about $175.00
Additional $30 saving If tickets purchased before Sept 1st
and used any time the next few months.
All round trips to East can save about $30 if purchased before
Sept 1st Use tickets any time the next few months. Time is
short for this saving.
HAW AU this winter. Steamship space sold out for Jan. and
Feb. Some space open few Nov. and Dec and March. Plan your
trip at once. Round Trip AIR is now Ssss from Salem.
South American-The Caribbean and Mexican Cruises selling
out fast Any plan for vacation in sunshine this winter should
be set up at once. Cruises from 17 to 47 days. AIR and STEAM
SHIP TICKETS ANYWHERE.
SALEII TRAVEL AGENCY
' TlSN.Capttelr-Ya.7t94
fair will be running there Sept 23.
Oklahoma has been a fighting
political arena In recent years, al
though the last time it went re
publican In a presidential election
was In 1928. Then, it gave Herbert
Hoover 394.040 votes to 219.174 for
the late Alfred E. Smith. The lat
ter made one of his early campaign
speeches in Oklahoma City.
Before Turner called In swws
men, word came from the presi
dent's party aboard the yacht Wil
liamsburg that Mr. Truman plans
to visit more states than any can
didate in history.
The swing will embrace the deep
south,, where democrats are in
4-Nation Committee
Backs Birth Control
CHELTENHAM, Ecg, Aug; .28-JVy-K
four-nation committee was
formed Friday to promote birth
control on an International scale.
The action was taken at the
final , session of the International
Congress on population and world
resources. The United States,
Great Britain. Holland and Swed
en will participate.
open rebellion against the presi
dent's election, and every other
section of the country.
9'
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