Miss-Delectable
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2004
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On deaf ears
Canadians must be very proud of their government for having finally acknowledged the dismal treatment inflicted on the children of the aboriginal peoples of this country and offered a public statement of apology. Finally, the victims of physical and sexual abuse, also of cultural genocide, have been vindicated. This memorable day will go down in history and demonstrate to the world that our country is finally mature enough to accept responsibility for past wrongful actions in spite of the fact that these actions may have been done in good faith based on the beliefs and spirit of the times.
One would think we would have learned that good faith does not excuse evil and that the suffering caused by such actions in the past continues to affect the victims long after the perpetrators have departed.
Why is it then that our governments refuse to acknowledge that they inflicted the same abuses on the children attending deaf schools? They were also physically, sexually and emotionally abused. They were also denied their language and culture. They were also the victims of educational abuse that leaves 85 per cent of them unemployed and those who are employed, seriously underemployed in low-level entry jobs.
Members of the deaf community have been fighting for years to convince the governments to recognize this and implement true reforms to the education of the deaf and to have the deaf community play a significant role in the education of their people. There is a huge amount of scientific research to support these requests. However, these efforts continue to fall on "deaf ears" -- pun intended.
René Rivard,
Ottawa
Canadian Society for Mental Health and Deafness
Canadians must be very proud of their government for having finally acknowledged the dismal treatment inflicted on the children of the aboriginal peoples of this country and offered a public statement of apology. Finally, the victims of physical and sexual abuse, also of cultural genocide, have been vindicated. This memorable day will go down in history and demonstrate to the world that our country is finally mature enough to accept responsibility for past wrongful actions in spite of the fact that these actions may have been done in good faith based on the beliefs and spirit of the times.
One would think we would have learned that good faith does not excuse evil and that the suffering caused by such actions in the past continues to affect the victims long after the perpetrators have departed.
Why is it then that our governments refuse to acknowledge that they inflicted the same abuses on the children attending deaf schools? They were also physically, sexually and emotionally abused. They were also denied their language and culture. They were also the victims of educational abuse that leaves 85 per cent of them unemployed and those who are employed, seriously underemployed in low-level entry jobs.
Members of the deaf community have been fighting for years to convince the governments to recognize this and implement true reforms to the education of the deaf and to have the deaf community play a significant role in the education of their people. There is a huge amount of scientific research to support these requests. However, these efforts continue to fall on "deaf ears" -- pun intended.
René Rivard,
Ottawa
Canadian Society for Mental Health and Deafness