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'Early in 1967 it was anounced by the Winston
Churchill Memorial Trust that I had been
awarded a Churchill Fellowship to visit the USA
in order to observe various types of special
provision for handicapped children. This travelling
Fellowship necessitated my absence from
Hounslow for about months, beginning in the
last week in July at the end of the school summer
term. Therefore this report for the year 1967 is
in two sections: the first section, below, covers
work in Hounslow until the end of the summer
term; the second section which follows is a report
on my travels in the USA as a Churchill Fellow.
'My work in Hounslow between January and
July 1967 continued to follow the pattern which
had gradually developed from 1965 onwards: on
the one hand, as a member of both multidisciplinary
teams serving children in the Hearing
Clinic and the Medical Advisory Unit, and on the
other hand, as educational psychologist to the
majority of the special schools, including the two
Junior Training Schools. The association with
special courses for teachers or student-teachers at
Maria Grey College of Education and at Chiswick
Polytechnic was continued, and further developed
with the innovation of demonstrations of
specialised assessment techniques for children
with perceptual or other specific difficulties, using
the excellent facilities offered by the two medical
units (of observation rooms with one-way viewing
panels). This added depth and clarity to lectures
to these courses on special difficulties in learning
and their diagnosis. Many other lecturing
commitments were also undertaken, including
some to Hounslow teachers as a participant in a
series of lectures for teachers organised by
Mr Barnett at Hounslow Town Hall. Other
lectures included two to London Borough of
Merton teachers on the diagnosis and treatment of
difficulties in learning to read; to conferences or
courses for teachers at colleges in Wallingford and
Culham; to Wessex educational psychologists at
Worthing; to participants at a day conference
organised by the London branch of the
Association for Special Education; and to
supervisors of Junior Training Schools or Centres
for the London Boroughs Training Committee.
A particularly interesting engagement was to act
as Chairman at a lecture given by Dr Marianne
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Frostig of the Frostig Center for Educational
Therapy in Los Angeles, at an International Study
Group at University College, Oxford, organised
by the Spastics Society.
'Once again a few days in the summer term
were devoted to acting as Examiner of Final
Teaching Practice of the students training as
Teachers of Mentally Handicapped Children at
Chiswick Polytechnic.
'Lastly, several visitors were welcomed
throughout the first half of 1967, including some
leading figures in the field of special education
in the USA and students from different disciplines
working with children. It was a particular pleasure
to be able to show them the comprehensive
provision for handicapped children in Hounslow.'
Travels as a Churchill Fellow in the USA
'The most suitable way to begin this report is by
quoting the Council of the Winston Churchill
Memorial Trust on their declared purpose in
setting up Churchill Fellowships. They state that
'the inspiration of the Trust is the example of
Sir Winston himself, his adventurous life and
journeys which did much to make him the man
he was. Churchill Fellows, men and women from
all walks of life, are given the opportunity to
follow his example by learning through travelling
abroad. This will enable them on their return to
contribute more to their country and their
community from experience which they have
gained.' I would like to thank the Winston
Churchill Memorial Trust for making my own
wonderful learning experience possible, the
London Borough of Hounslow for enabling me to
take up the travelling Fellowship by giving me
paid leave for the necessary period of time, and
the many people I met in the USA who by their
hospitality, kindness and willingness to discuss
with me or show me their work, created the
learning experience. If I can communicate to my
colleagues here in Britain even a part of what I
learned, I will feel I am in some measure justifying
my Fellowship and the warm welcome I received.
'I have decided not to report on my travels in
chronological order, apart from a brief outline
initially of the route I followed, as I think it will
make for a clearer report if I attempt to group