Interesting. Thanks actually Cw, I'll use this in my phd thesis on disability, ---- particulary in the 4th chapter which is on social prejudice and disbelief.
To an extent I can understand the concern. My mum and granmar were both blind, (though my mum has some residual vision like me). Therefore various things had to be done differently, ---- for instance, my mum couldn't watch where I went on a play park when i was litle, so walked around behind me, ---- which actually made me a pretty good climber.
KLike anything with disabilities, it takes more effort and work. if, as seems the case in this artical, someone is inteligent and committed enough to make that effort, ---- then that is certainly reasonable, but I could see issues with someone who wasn't, ---- what if for instance a child put it's hand in a fire when it's parents weren't watching it?
This isn't to say things would automatically be impossible, only that where as it wouldn't matter if a good parent was blind, if a bad one was, it would indeed make the situation worse.
There was however in this case litle or no evidence to assume that the couple in question were! bad parents, indeed it sounds like normal parental difficulties were being attributed to disability (something else I'll cover in my phd), so the judgement of the state authority was involved was too harsh.
also though, there is a modern tendency to overblow anything where kids are concerned. One school had to have notes from parents in order for kids to make dazy chains sinse they worried it was against health and safety! ---- child abuse of any sort is really the modern bogey man, which probably made the judgement of this case even more extreme than it already was.
With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)
