Dear Editor:
I just read your December 1992 (overseas edition) report "A Child with Down's Syndrome in the Family." In the article it discussed and introduced the current situation of families in Taiwan with Down's Syndrome children. It was really very upsetting. Currently, society does not have a deep understanding of Down's Syndrome. This combined with the traditional negative attitudes that promote "self-blame" and "fatalism" push Down's Syndrome further into the shadows. This piece let society at large have a deeper understanding of the tragic hardships and needs of families with Down's Syndrome.
As for the articles' Chinese and the English translation of it, I have a few suggestions: First, on page 87, under the subhead that says, "Are children with Down's less mentally capable?" The first sentence reads, "One of the symptoms of Down's is lower mental capability." Down's isn't something that a patient "catches" but is the result of a genetic mutation. Hence, "special characteristic" is better than "symptom."
Second, currently the WISC-R scale is used for classifying mental disability: 85-115 was normal; 50-70 was mildly retarded; 35-55 was moderately retarded; 20-40 was seriously retarded and below 20 was extremely seriously retarded. Another newer system doesn't divide people with Down's based on their I.Q., but instead divides them according to their environment and needs.
Third, the retarded of all levels are said to have Down's Syndrome. Those with Down's are usually moderately retarded but may also be lightly or heavily retarded. The children must be educated based on their environment and on their needs.
Fourth, the U.S. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act clearly states that children with all levels of disability from five to 21, regardless of the severity of their disability, are entitled to free education. Furthermore, the parents have the right to determine the method of their education. Furthermore, the various people involved (such as teachers, principals, psychologists, parents, children themselves, physical therapists and occupational therapists) must get together to formulate an integrated educational plan for each child. Every child must receive his education and related facilities in an environment with the least obstacles. "Anyone with an I.Q. below 70. . ." is only a small portion of this act.
I am currently in the United States studying special education. Here, I am willing to provide the above mentioned information to the public and I wish that men of insight can at an earlier day give our society new, more constructive laws--not only just for the parents of children with Down's but so that the parents of children with all levels of mental disability to come out of the shadows and into the sunlight to be welcomed into the warm embrace of society. Now in America, no longer are children given such precise classification, but rather are generally called developmentally delayed children. This is because it is hard to measure a child before five and secondly because they don't want to reach conclusions about them to soon.
United States
Chen Hsiang-tzu
Dear Editor:
In the February story "Always Ahead of Her Time: Chen Li-hung," on page 29, you write in the caption "Women dressed as men were the fashion of the times." The fact of the matter is that Chen was wearing the police uniform of the period just after the restoration of Taiwan. The emblem on the hat is a dove representing peace, and above is the white sun and blue sky [from the ROC flag], and the dove on the collar is the emblem of the police. Furthermore, Chen's advertisements show that she was very careful and measured in the way she used both Japanese and Chinese.
Taipei Huang Wen-fan