We need to be realistic about this. The truth is, we know our children better than anyone else—better than experts with credentials. It falls to us parents first and foremost to observe them closely, take notes, report what we see to whoever will design their education.
For children with milder disabilities, I see the possibility of attending a mainstream school; in those cases, integration makes sense. But for the more severely disabled, the segregated classroomLe classi differenziali erano delle classi scolastiche destinate ad alunni diversamente abili o affetti da disturbi dell'apprendimento o problemi di socializzazione. Sono state abolite con legge 517 del 4 agosto 1977 (N.d.R) will always be necessary.
Not because we want a "ghetto"—as some have accused us. Those people have no idea how much it hurts to take our children to a separate school when their brothers and sisters are in the regular one.
My son Roberto is nine years old—physically and mentally disabled, autistic, with behavioral problems.
He was rejected by every special education center in northern Italy; only "Scuola Serena" in Rome accepted him. He is a child who needs someone beside him constantly, someone to engage him with games and activities, to correct him and understand him. Most of all, he needs love.
How can I expect all of that from a teacher already overwhelmed by problems, managing a classroom of forty-five ordinary children?
The day I dared propose such a thing, I got the usual, painful refusal.
What I would propose instead is to send healthy children to the segregated classroom so their friendship and sensitivity could benefit the disabled children.
You in society who accuse us—we parents of exceptional children do not want a "ghetto." Do not make our burden heavier than it already is. Understand us. We cannot send our children to regular school, dump them like sacks of potatoes in the classrooms, and walk away while we hear teachers murmur their justified complaints.
We need instead to improve the segregated school—first, by hiring people who are genuinely trained, not just people marking time until their payday. We need educators willing to dedicate themselves to work whose results may not always be obvious or measurable.
Like missionaries in distant lands, we need people ready to serve and love God through our suffering children.
I take this chance to greet and thank all the friends of "Fede e Luce."
- Angela Cusimano, 1975
