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198
Annual Report of the London County Council, 1912.
education. Such children had no place within the ordinary scheme; their sight was too bad or too
susceptible of further damage to permit ol education in any elementary school; and they were not blind
or partially blind, and were unsuitable for a blind school. Some few of the least defective were
admitted to an elementary school to take what they could of its curriculum; some of the most defective
were admitted to blind schools, often with difficulty owing to a not unnatural opposition from the
parents; but most were invalid and received no education at all. Attention was drawn to the state
of affairs in the reports of the medical officer (education).
In 1908 the first experimental class for myopes was established. There are now three centres;
the original experimental class in the Boundary-lane Blind Centre, one at Harvist-road, Islington, and
another at Fountain-road, Tooting. These three centres accommodate 100 children, many of
whom have to travel considerable distances. There is still, however, a waiting list of children
for whom no suitable accommodation can be found, many of these are in attendance at the ordinary
elementary schools under conditions that will be noted subsequently. The immediate want is a centre
in the east and one in the west of London. But it is quite certain that these and the three already
in working will not meet the requirements of the future, for the establishment of these myope centres
has become known to the hospital surgeons of London, so that now children attending hospital clinics
who are found to have grave defects of vision are recommended for admission to these schools, instead
of being turned adrift with a certificate of unfitness for school attendance, as was formerly the custom.
Further, the formation and systematic working of the treatment centres has resulted in the discovery of
a number of children with defective vision for whom nothing was done in former years beyond the
possible provision of spectacles. The increase in the attention given to these cases is shown in the
numbers recommended for admission to a myope school from amongst the children seen at the head
office. There were:—
1909 13 ,
1910 22
1911 46
1912 92
These figures do not include children recommended for admission to these special classes on account
of defective vision due to other causes than myopia.
The possible necessary increase in the number of these schools or classes in the near future makes
it desirable that some scheme or general plan should be arrived at which would be applicable to the
whole of London and which would be capable of easy expansion or contraction as the number of
children requiring this form of education varied. In any such scheme it is highly desirable that the
arrangements shall be such as will permit the closest association of these special classes with the
existing elementary schools, rather than their organisation as separate units; in no case should they
be associated with the blind schools. The necessity for the close .association of the myope classes with
the ordinary schools is advocated for two reasonsto reduce to the minimum the reluctance of parents
to the transference of their children to the special classes; and to reduce the handicap which attaches
to children who have required special forms of education on account of physical disability, a handicap
which becomes manifest when they leave school and apply for work. These two reasons are really
identical. The working of the Employers' Liability Acts has increased the difficulty of securing employment
for those who suffer physical disability. Short sight will be counted such a disability if
education arrangements are made so as to segregate these children.
An idea scheme would be the selection of an ordinary elementary school centrally situated for
every residential area. To that school should be transferred all the short-sighted children living in
that district. They should be entered as regular scholars of that school. One or two classrooms could
be set apart for their accommodation. In these rooms such part of their work as must be different
from that of the regular pupils of the school should be taken. The rest of their work should be taken
with their normal class mates. The teachers who would have charge of the special part of this curriculum
Would be trained for the work, and the rooms allotted would be appropriately equipped. Lighting
is a point of particular importance in the case of myopes, for not only does their defective vision necessitate
perfect illumination, but the very nature of the defect from which they suffer reduces their sensibility
to objects viewed under feeble illumination.
Method of selection of cases.—On one afternoon of each week the Council's ophthalmologist examines
a number of children who have been reported by the Council's school doctors, or by hospital or other
authorities, as probably suitable for special educational treatment on account of grave defect of vision.
These cases are examined, note made of the state of their eyes and of such vision as may be present,
and some decision arrived at as to what education is possible for each of these children. Some are
returned to the elementary school as capable of receiving the regular education, and others are graded
for various degrees of exemption or special treatment up to that of admission to the blind school:—
(a) Elementary school, for easy treatment as regards eye work.
(b) Elementary school, oral teaching only.
(c) Myope class, Elementary school., oral teaching pro tem.
(d) Myope class.
(e) Blind school.
(/) Resident blind school; either the Council's for elder children, or one of the country
homes for younger children.
(g) Invalided temporarily, or in some cases permanently.
Many cases are referred for medical treatment before any determination is made as regards
education. Each case is considered on its merits, and many conditions besides eyesight, influence the