C.E. Jottings

Minorities within minorities. Who speaks for whom?

This has been lying around since about early last December in the folder on my laptop called "Ideas for blog posts". So I've dusted it off a bit, sorted out a few links and post it today just as a 'for thought' piece, more a draft than the finished article. Since then, ActionCP (about which, as I said previously, more later) has come in to existence, an opportunity for a genuine voice for children with cerebral palsy and their families.... Read more →

DfE outlines research needs for SEN and disability – how should conductive education respond?

The Department for Education has published a paper outlining what DfE sees as "research needs" in SEN and disability. Interestingly, one area that they do not question as needing further research is that of the concept or category of SEN itself. Some of us would regard that as the first priority, getting the intellectual framework right first so that we know what we are talking about at all. The following summary is taken from the latest briefing provided by the... Read more →

Denied her means of communication. "We ain't gonna take it anymore"

Here's a blog you might like to read in full. “We’re Ain’t Gonna Take It Any More”: Communication Access Now, No More Social Injustice" by Glenda Watson Hyatt. Glenda begins: "Individuals with communication disabilities, which affect how we speak or understand what others are saying, typically experience inequality in employment, healthcare and numerous other situations on a daily basis." The blog post came about when Glenda's was in A&E having injured her foot, and her husband Darrell, also a wheelchair... Read more →

Local Government Ombudsman: call for fair deal for children with SEN

Has systemic failure become part of the SEN system itself? Dr Jane Martin, Local Government Ombudsman, said: ”Children with SEN, and their families, must be treated fairly by councils so they receive the support to which they are entitled. It is not acceptable when pupils miss out on crucial education, are unlawfully excluded or have their education opportunities adversely affected. “A common phrase we hear from families when resolving a dispute about SEN is that it feels like a constant... Read more →