Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T06:51:14.768Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Coming in From the Margin

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2016

Patricia M. O’Brien*
Affiliation:
New Zealand Society for the Intellectually Handicapped

Extract

Des English was a person of great charm, innovation, and inner strength. His early death at the age of 44 in 1977 came as a bitter blow not only for his family but for the many teachers and parents he had influenced and guided in respectively providing and in seeking educational opportunities for children with disabilities. Des grew up in a small town in Victoria called Donnybrook, north of Melbourne. He was educated by the Marist Brothers at Kilmore College, and in the 50’s trained as a primary teacher at Geelong Teachers College, from which he gained an extension of one year to study as a Special Teacher at Melbourne Teachers College. His first appointment was as an Opportunity Grade teacher at North Melbourne State School. His talent for leadership surfaced early and in his second appointment he became Principal of Footscray Special School for children and adolescents with intellectual disability. Throughout the rest of his career he gained one promotion after another to the Principal positions at Ormond, Travencore and St. Alban’s Special schools. I was fortunate to work as a deputy principal with him throughout his last two appointments.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Australian Association of Special Education 1990

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Biklen, D. & Knoll, J. (1987). The disabled minority. In Taylor, S.J., Biklen, D., & Knoll, J. (Eds), Community integration for people with severe disabilities (pp. 324). New York: Teachers College Press.Google Scholar
Department of Education, Implementation Unit. (1989). The charter framework. Wellington: Author.Google Scholar
Education Act. (1989, September). No. 80. Wellington: New Zealand Government Printer.Google Scholar
Flynn, G., & Kowalczyk-McPhee, B. (1989). A school system in transition. In Stainback, S., Stainback, W., & Forest, M. (Eds). Educating all students in the mainstream of regular education (pp. 2941). Baltimore: Brookes.Google Scholar
Forest., M., & Lusthaus, E. (1989). Promoting educational equality for all students: Circles and maps. In Stainback, S., Stainback, W. & Forest, M. (Eds), Educating all students in the mainstream of regular education (pp. 4357). Baltimore: Brookes.Google Scholar
Kendricks, M. (1989a, October). Moving people from hospital into the community. Paper presented at a seminar of the Northern Region, New Zealand Society for the Intellectually Handicapped, Auckland.Google Scholar
Kendricks, M. (1989b, October). Leadership. Paper presented at a seminar of the Northern Region, New Zealand Society for the Intellectually Handicapped, Auckland.Google Scholar
O’Brien, J. (1989). What’s worth working for? Developing high quality services for people with severe disabilities. In Bradley, V., and Berserk, H. (Eds), Comprehensive quality assurance systems: New ways of addressing old questions. Baltimore: Brookes.Google Scholar
O’Brien, J., Forest, M., Snow, J., Hasbury, D. (1989). Action for inclusion: How to improve schools by welcoming children special needs into regular classrooms. Toronto: Centre for Integrated Education.Google Scholar
O’Brien, P.M. & Parks, D. (1990). [Evaluation of stage one of the integration of people from Kingseat Hospital into the community]. Unpublished raw data.Google Scholar
Perske, R. (1988). Circles of friends: People with disabilities and their friends enrich the lives of one another. Nashville: Abington.Google Scholar
Snow, J. (1987). The role of disability in shaping responsive community. Toronto: Centre for Integrated Education.Google Scholar
Stainback, S. & Stainback, W. (1984). A rationale for the merger of special and regular education. Exceptional Children, 51, 102111.Google Scholar
Stainback, W. & Stainback, S. (1989). Practical organisational strategies. In Stainback, S., Stainback, W., & Forest, M. (Eds), Educating all students in the mainstream of regular education (pp. 7187). Baltimore: Brookes.Google Scholar
Taylor, S.J. (1987). Introduction. In Taylor, S. J., Biklen, D. & Knoll, J. (Eds), Community integration for people with disabilities (pp. XVXX). New York: Teachers College Press.Google Scholar
Wolfensberger, W. (1989, July). Universal Issues. Paper presented at the Wolfensberger Workshops, Wesley Central Mission, Victoria, Australia.Google Scholar