Page 6 THE BATTALION
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1981
AGGIE
CLEANERS
111 College Main
846-4116
"THE CLEANERS
AT NORTHGATE.
Local
Cerebral palsy makes walking a victory
Rachael improves in special ed class
//
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This is the final story in a three-
part series on the special prob
lems of handicapped children.
HUGHES TOOL COMPANY
Hughes Tool Company — Houston, Texas — will
interview May and Summer Computing Science and
Math graduates on campus Thursday, March 5, 1981.
Candidates will interview for positions as Pro
grammer/Analysts at Corporate Headquarters located
in Houston, Texas. Hughes Tool utilizes state-of-the-
art hardware and software — IBM 3033 mainframe
using MVS, CICS, TSO and JES2 supporting a large
teleprocessing network. Excellent opportunities for
advancement in a professional environment.
Current projects include Inventory Control, Material
Requirements, Planning, Shop Process Monitoring
and On-line Financial Reporting. Primary languages
are COBOL and Mark IV utilizing on-line editing, test
ing and inter-active debugging.
Register at Career Planning and Placement Center,
10th floor-Rudder Tower.
By MARJORIE MCLAUGHUN
Battalion Staff
Rachael’s expressive brown eyes
survey the room and her smile
deepens when she sees her
teacher. Her stiff fingers move
slowly down to point at the symbol
for swing on the plastic board in
her lap.
This symbol board and some
arm and facial gestures are the
only ways Rachael has to com
municate and, at recess, she’ll be
wheeled out to the swings in a
stroller.
Rachael, 13, has cerebral palsy,
a condition caused by brain dam
age either before or at birth. She
cannot talk, and because her mus
cles are so stiff and underde
veloped, she cannot use her hands
for sign language.
Mentally, Rachael is 3. She can
feed herself some soft foods and
can walk very slowly with leg
braces and a rolling walker.
“A lot of people try to ignore
these children,” said Mary Ann
Raatz, Rachael’s mother. "They
have feelings — they just can’t ex
press themselves well.”
Raatz, her jusband James,
Rachael and her older sister
Tamara, 16, live in College Sta
tion. Raatz talked about the prob
lems of raising a disabled child as
she sliced a banana into Rachael’s
bowl.
“We try to keep our family life
balanced — we try to spend as
much time with our other daugh-
Two years later, a class was
formed and Rachael started
school.
There are six children in her
class, ranging in age from 9 to 16.
One teacher and two aides con
duct the class, making the adult-
to-student ratio 1 to 2, as com
pared with an average ratio of 1 to
30 in a normal classroom.
“A lot of people try to
ignore these children,”
said Mary Ann Raatz,
mother of Rachael, a
cerebral palsy victim.
“They have feelings —
they just can't express
themselves well. ”
At 8 a.m. the specially-
equipped bus takes Rachael and
the other disabled children in the
district to school. Her class meets
in two large rooms behind the dis
trict’s tax office on Timber Street.
Karen Westbrook, the teacher,
likes the location because the
often noisy activities don’t disturb
the rest of the school.
and have helped her mother ad
just to letting her go.
This summer Rachael will
undergo intensive self-help train
ing at Scott and White Hospital in
Temple. Raatz, who will stay in
Temple, will only see her once a
day.
“It will be very hard to leave
her, but the training will help her
learn to do things for herself,”
Raatz said.
“This is a poor school district —
there are no large industries in this
town to generate taxes,” said
Westbrook. “The school system
tries to get us what we just have to
have, but there are a lot of things
we would like to have.”
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413 Texas Ave. South
846-6164
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ter as we do with Rachael,” she
said. “My husband and I don’t
have much time together.”
The Raatzs decided against in
stitutionalizing Rachael despite
the problems of raising her at
home.
“At this time, we can give her
more than she can get at an institu
tion,” Raatz said.
When Rachael was 7, the usual
age for entering school, there was
no special class for severely dis
abled children in the College Sta
tion Independent School District.
A teacher taught her basic skills at
home for an hour a day.
jeCon
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Raatz disagreed, saying, “I wish
that they could be incorporated
into school life more. Sometimes,
it’s like they’re forgotten out
there.”
At school and at home, repeti
tion of certain tasks and strict sche
duling seems to be the best way to
teach disabled children. Wednes
day, the bus was late and the day’s
school schedule was disrupted.
“Routine is very important to
these children,” Westbrook said.
“If the bus is late, the whole day
may go badly.”
Rachael and her classmates start
each day by working puzzles.
Rachael is easily distracted, and
Westbrook must continually re
mind her to finish the puzzle. The
exercise goes slowly. It is hard not
to help Rachael complete the sim
ple task. But, as Westbrook points
out, even these tasks are helping
Rachael’s concentration, percep
tion and muscle coordination.
Rachael’s daily trips to school
have made her more independent
She also blames the sagging
economy and federal aid cutbacks
for the decreased special educa
tion funds.
Local clubs donate most of the
expensive equipment used in the
“The school system tries
to get us what we just
have to have, but there
are a lot of things we
would like to have, ” said
Karen Westbrook,
Rachael’s special educa
tion teacher.
class, Westbrook said. The school
system pays for two hours of occu
pational and physical therapy a
week for each child who needs
those extra services.
In her occupational therapy,
Rachael struggles to undressadol
almost her size. Sheryl Kaluza,a
therapist from the Brazos Valiev
Rehabilitation Center, said tkl
this exercise teaches Rachael how
to undress herself and, more im
portantly, improves the fine
motor skills in her hands.
The shirt and pants come of,
but Rachael can’t get the under
wear over the doll’s legs. Shecries
out in frustration.
Finally, after much encourage
ment from Kaluza, the undemear
comes off and Rachael gives tie
doll a bath with a dry washcloth
The physical therapist exerciser
Rachael’s stiff back and leg mm
cles and helps her practice wal
ing, sitting and standing.
The rest of the school day is
spent sorting colored pegs inti
colored buckets and placing pegs
into holes — pre-vocational sir
that might enable Rachael towod
someday in a workshop for dis
abled people.
Each task that Rachael com
E letes is lavishly praised by West
rook and the aides. The attitudes
of the teachers, as well as those of
other people Rachael comes into
contact with, are all-important,
Raatz said.
“Attitudes toward handicapped
children are slowly changing,"skt
said. “It depends on how parents
teach their children. In this neigh
borhood, some parents talked to
their children about Rachael and
they come over and ask to play
with her. Others ride their biles
by and stare.
“People think it’s terrible hav
ing a child like this. But it’sreallyi
blessing. She has a terrific smile
and you know it’s genuine, noli
put-on.”
Aggies win Baylor law money
Two Texas A&M students have
received a special scholarship to
attend Baylor University’s School
of Law.
Joseph Milton Nance $2,400
full-tuition scholarships were
awarded to Steven Webster Ellis,
a political science major from
Portland, Texas, and William
Kaufman, a psychology major
from Houston.
David Wayne Tomek, a finance
major from Houston, and Lisi
Lynn Holmes, an accounting mi
jor from Longview.
Half tuition scholarships for
$1200 were given to alternates
M. M. (Mack) Deans ’55
Representing the
COLLEGE INSURANCE
PLAN
to
TAMU Students for 26 years
846-7791
4340 Carter Creek
Suite 103
AMERICAN GENERAL LIFE INSURANCE CO.
Home Office - Houston, Texas
Lyric group
a sell-out,
plays tonight
energy emcieet home?!
For those who enjoy Mozarts
string music more than Southern
rock by Charlie Daniels, the Lyrit
Art Quintet will perform tonight
in Rudder Theatre at 8 p.m.
But the music lovers should
already have their tickets because
the 750-seat theatre is sold out.
The quintet is composed of
three violinists, Fredell Lack
Albert Muenzer and Lawrence
Wheeler; a cellist, Hans Jorgeo
Jensen and pianist Albert Hirsh,
who teaches music at the Univer
sity of Houston.
The MSC Opera and Perform
ing Arts Society is sponsoring the
Quintet.
Now Better Than Ever. You Will Be Pleased With
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Dining: 11 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. — 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M
MONDAY EVENING
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Your Choice of
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Coffee or Tea
TUESDAY EVENING
SPECIAL
Mexican Fiesta
Dinner
Two Cheese and
Onion Enchiladas
w chili
Mexican Rice
Patio Style Pinto Beans
Tostadas
Coffee or Tea
One Corn Bread and Butter
WEDNESDAY
EVENING SPECIAL
Chicken Fried Steak
w cream Gravy
Whipped Potatoes and
Choice of one other
Vegetable
Roll or Corn Bread and Bulter
Coffee or Tea
THURSDAY EVENING SPECIAL
Italian Candle Light Spaghetti Dinner
SERVED WITH SPICED MEAT BALLS AND SAUCE
Parmesan Cheese - Tossed Green Salad
Choice of Salad Dressing - Hot Garlic Bread
Tea or Coffee
FOR YOUR PROTECTION OUR PERSONNEL HAVE HEALTH CARDS.
FRIDAY EVENING
SPECIAL
BREADED FISH
FILET w/TARTAR
SAUCE
Cole Slaw
Hush Puppies
Choice of one
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Tea or Coffee
SATURDAY
NOON and EVENING
SPECIAL
SUNDAY SPECIAL
NOON and EVENING
Yankee Pot Roast
(Texas Salad)
Mashed
Potato w/
gravy
Roll or Corn Bread & Butter
Tea or Coffee
rQuality First'
ROAST TURKEY DINNER
Served with
Cranberry Sauce
Cornbread Dressing
Roll or Corn Bread - Butter
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Giblet Gravy
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One vegetable
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