From William Murray’s column:
“The constant esteem building in public schools teaching even low-functioning kids with anger problems to judge themselves equal to the valedictorian is yet another.”
As a mom of a developmentally disabled young adult and an active member of a number of communities of parents of special needs children, I would like to see the “facts” behind this statement. Produce specific examples of this with school names, teachers, “low functioning” children who say/believe such things. In truth, Mr. Murray statement has no basis in reality. Further, even if this fantasy esteem building existed in some school somewhere, there is no statement by any teacher that could change the reality that disabled children and adults know as they live with the daily devastating deficits.
I found the commentary to be completely ignorant and simplistic. And this particular statement is so ignorant. Low-functioning children and young adults hardly even understand what a valedictorian is let alone compare themselves to such a person. How vile that this man would attack children and young people who could not even read or defend themselves against his lies about them.
What great thing has a valedictorian done but what is commensurate with their level of functioning, whereas because of his deficits, a developmentally disabled person is forced to work very hard every minute of every day on things always just beyond their capabilities just to make it through the day. I was an honors student all through school and college and worked hard, but my disabled son has worked even harder every day, and doing that hard work he did not have the praise of peers around him but had to deal with disability harassment and the disability discrimination Mr. Murray exhibits so clearly.
My son is a very humble, realistic, polite, hardworking young man. Not a single teacher in all his public school years taught him such nonsense. Mr. Murray cast a wide judgmental insult over my son and other disabled people accusing them of things that never enter their minds. It is disgusting to me that you would publish such a shocking false generalization.
D. Gruber
