Special Children Special Needs by Simon Bass

This is more than an interesting little book that's well written in a logical and easy to follow style. It's a handbook that will be of invaluable worth to anyone who works with children or young people. You'll find advice on the requirements of The Disability Discrimination Act 1995, special needs etiquette and appropriate language, child protection and safe recruitment, specific advice on disabilities and medical conditions, and there's a host of information on helpful organisations and resources.

 

There are around 550,000 children and young people in the UK who have some form of disability and/or chronic illness, and there is a moral responsibility to see that these children are not just welcomed, but also nurtured in our churches. How to do that safely, from the point of view of child and worker, has become significantly more difficult in recent years, but that must not be allowed to become a reason, or an excuse for distancing ourselves. This little book meets the need in a simple, practical, step-by-step approach.

 

It challenges us with questions that are so obvious we may have overlooked them. For example, does your church or group have a loop system for the hearing impaired, adequate lighting or large print, Braille or other formats such as audiotapes for those who are sight-impaired? Is there an accessible toilet, ramps or lifts, or space for wheelchairs?

 

And of course it's firmly anchored in Scripture. We're reminded of the parable of the Great Banquet; "Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame". The moral to the story is that it's not enough to facilitate those with special needs; we must actively seek them out.

 

Special Children Special Needs, written by a man who is a qualified social worker, but who also has a child with special needs, encourages and equips us to do just that.

 

Published by Church House Publishing

53 pages

Price £5.95

Click here to buy on line

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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