 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Part 1 | Part 2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|||
 |
This week on UMTV, a clear vision for those in need. | ||
 |
|||
 |
Home | New Items | Additional Stories | UMTV Brief | ||
UMTV Web Brief 10/7/02 –
Mainstream vs. Extreme? – Intro:
Welcome to UMTV’s web brief. I’m Reed Galin.
Every child has a right to education – we generally all agree on that notion – but, at what cost to others? What if the child has special needs – needs that cost your school system hundreds of thousands of dollars and impact all the children with “ordinary” needs? The expense might mean overcrowded classrooms and no art or music programs. Is there a price too high? What about the value of compassion?
Mainstream vs. Extreme? – Story:
BECAUSE OF MEDICAL ADVANCES, CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES ARE LIVING LONGER, RICHER LIVES. ATTENDING SCHOOL IS NOW A GIVEN. WHAT’S NOT SO CLEAR IS WHO’S GOING TO PAY FOR THEIR SPECIAL NEEDS.
Al Mance, Tennessee Education Association: “It costs on average about two and a half times as much to educate a student who’s in need of special education services than a student in a general education program.”
IN THIS CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DISTRICT, IT MEANS THAT 90% OF THE STUDENT BODY WILL LOSE SOME ART AND MUSIC PROGRAMS. STUDENTS WITHOUT DISABILITIES WILL STUDY IN UNDER-FUNDED AND OVERCROWDED CLASSROOMS.
Julie Redmond, Mother of Special Needs child: “They have as much right to an education as a typical child and it shouldn’t be a rob Peter to pay Paul environment, and that’s kind of what’s happened.”
PARENTS OF SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN SAY YOU CANNOT PUT A PRICE ON QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ANY CHILD.
Sherri Shalolow, Mother of Special Needs child: “Kids get one shot at an education, and if we don’t do it right the first time we’re all going to be paying for it as a society later in life.”
COMPOUNDING THE DIFFICULTIES IS A TREND CALLED INCLUSION – PLACING MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED CHILDREN, LIKE JUSTIN WARNICK, IN “TYPICAL” CLASSROOMS. WHILE THE REST OF THE CLASS MUST COMPETE FOR THE TEACHER’S ATTENTION, JUSTIN HAS HIS OWN TEACHER’S AIDE. DOES IT MATTER THAT JUSTIN WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THE REST OF THE CLASS? ADVOCATES SAY HIS PRESENCE TEACHES A LESSON THAT CANNOT BE LEARNED IN ANY BOOK.
Al Mance: “I think just rubbing shoulders with them is an important concept. They have to learn that everybody is not the same, but what’s different is not necessarily inferior, and that’s a lesson that they will take with them for the rest of their lives.”
Commentary: Challenged – Intro:
One United Methodist family agrees that children with special needs can teach us all a lot about living. Robert and Judy have a son with autism. They’ve lived with emotional and cultural challenges for sixteen years...
Commentary: Challenged – Story:
Having a child with a disability is a real gift and it lets you look at the world in a whole different way than you’d otherwise see it. And you can see needs that you otherwise wouldn’t have an opportunity to see.
I generally think that everybody in society ultimately has a stake in making sure that everybody gets a chance to succeed.
If you want that for your child, how can you not want to extend that same thing to your neighbor’s child? And very pragmatically, many children with disabilities live long and normal lifetimes – and the better educated those children are, the more skills they have to take into the workplace, means that they can be taxpayers in that workplace and that’s important to the community from a community’s point of view, but mostly it’s important to the child.
Sometimes it’s not so much how much a person can bring into a community via money. Sometimes what they contribute is pulling things out of us – kindness, for the sake of kindness, not because it’s someone that we’re going to get something back from.
Ministry With A Vision – Intro:
Being able to see with prescription glasses is a luxury few can afford in Third World countries. Thanks to a visionary ministry in Maryville, Tennessee, thousands of people have had their sight restored – giving many visions of a new world.
Ministry With A Vision – Story:
“This is from England...”
THEY ARRIVE BY THE BOX LOAD – EYEGLASSES OF EVERY SHAPE AND STYLE.
“Some of them have the old, real skinny narrow glasses like she wore 40 years ago…”
THE OUTDATED EYEWEAR IS FINDING NEW LIFE AT THIS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH.
Thomas Beard, Director, Glasses for the Masses: “We receive donated glasses from all over the United States and we distribute them all over the world.”
NOW IN ITS 7TH YEAR, “GLASSES FOR THE MASSES” HAS RECYCLED AND SHIPPED ALMOST 30,000 PAIRS. MISSIONARIES FROM CUBA TO THE UKRAINE SET UP FIELD CLINICS TO HELP MAKE THE MATCH COMPLETE.
Gary Fowler, Volunteer: “We would go into a site in a rural area and people would start coming at daylight.”
ON A MISSION TRIP TO PARAGUAY, GARY FOWLER SAW FIRSTHAND HOW THIS EYE-OPENING MINISTRY COULD CHANGE LIVES.
Gary Fowler: “People would come out in tears, because they could see.”
Rusty Post, Volunteer: “One woman said, ‘I can finally read the Bible.’”
IT’S RUSTY POST’S JOB TO CHECK THE GLASSES’ PRESCRIPTION STRENGTH. HAVING WORN GLASSES SINCE AGE THREE, SHE APPRECIATES THE VALUE OF GOOD VISION.
Rusty Post: “And I just want to pass that on to other people.”
HUNDREDS OF CHURCHES DONATE THE EYEWEAR, ENOUGH SURPLUS TO FILL A CLOSET. IT’S A DAUNTING TASK WITH JUST A FEW VOLUNTEERS AND SO MUCH NEED.
Rusty Post: “Every time I complete a pair and put them in the plastic bag box, I think, ‘Thank you, Lord, one more person can see.’”
Ministry With A Vision – Tag:
The “Glasses for the Masses” program gladly accepts donations of eyeglasses. The information is available on this website, umc.org.
Tease next week:
On the next UMTV web brief, high stakes in the battle over gambling.
“I look at gambling as a wild beast that devours everything in its path.”
Thanks for watching. Make it a good week.