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muscle, one has an almost imperceptible speech defect due to weakness
of the soft palate, whilst only one is likely to have any serious permanent
disability.
THE PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED.
For many years you have had certain responsibilities for young
handicapped persons in Barking through your child welfare and
school health services. Prior to 1948, however, the care of the adult
handicapped lay mainly in the hands of voluntary associations.
The National Assistance Act placed on County Councils and
County Borough Councils the duty of preparing schemes for the
welfare of the blind, but unfortunately only made optional the development
of similar schemes for the deaf and for the physically handicapped.
It seems to me a great pity that Essex, like many other County Councils,
decided to delegate to a separate welfare committee the duties and
powers given it under the 1948 Act. In most cases handicapped persons
have been under our care during childhood, and they are well known
to the Health Visitors and School Medical Officers. Since their problems
invariably involve medical factors it would surely have been
preferable for the Health Committee to undertake these new duties
which would, presumably, have been decentralised to health area subcommittees.
This would have given local members the opportunity of
providing those services most needed, and would have obviated the
need for the appointment of yet another special social worker. It
would also have rendered easier the task of liaison with other local
officers.
In Barking the gap has been filled to some extent by the formation
of the Barking Association for the Physically Handicapped, which is
fortunate in having the Chairman of the Public Health Committee
as its Chairman and your Senior Administrative Assistant as its
Honorary Secretary. Whilst this association has strong local knowledge
and initiative, it is severely handicapped by lack of funds.
Other voluntary bodies helping the physically handicapped
include the Invalid Children's Aid Association, the Shaftesbury Society
and the local branch of the National Spastics Society. Others such as
the National Association for the Paralysed, the Infantile Paralysis
Fellowship (for patients paralysed by poliomyelitis) and the Tuberculosis
After Care Committee (for those with tuberculosis of bones or
joints) could wall come into the picture.
It will thus be clear that it is not only the statutory services which
require co-ordination and unification. There seems much to be said
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