Supporting and Informing Parents of the Handicapped: The Toowoomba SPELD Parent Information Centre

Extract

In a recent article in this journal (1979, pp. 23–24), Dr. Jim Irvine argued a case that parents should not only be fully informed in decision-making processes related to their handicapped children but they should act as co-ordinators of services. From a SPELD viewpoint, this case is timely and quite appropriate. Many professionals whose major interest is in meeting the needs of the clients of service systems, viz., children and their parents, would strongly support such a case. Those who are more interested in organisation-maintenance or status-protection, and less in client service, would probably resist such an orientation. From my experience as a parent and as an educator, there are far too many professionals dealing with parents who direct most of their professional energies to protecting their organisation and/or their own status – to the detriment of the parents and the children concerned.