The gift that gives and gives is sometimes unwanted.
This picture is one of them because it is a reminder of unneeded and unwanted suffering unseen by most eyes!
I can’t tell you the young man’s name…I don’t remember. I can tell you this story happened about 1970 in a residential school for the Deaf in Illinois. It’s a repulsive but true story and this young man’s art work remains as a reminder of injustice and personal damage done by people who’s crime existed within their absence of caring.
One Monday morning, I had arrived to my work station at a residential school for the Deaf. I saw the huddles of residential staff and heard the murmerings of The Dean of Students. It was another one of those social “hot potatoes:” that was ready for descreat disposal.
The story unfolded about a young man who was approached by a group of teens late at night in his dormitory. It was a sexual story that included Vasoline and a group of onlookers. It was story that included a victum who helped the aggressor with lubricant. The story resulted in putting the incident in the residential rumor mill with punishment for the injured one and a firm verbal correction for the aggressor/football star.
I sat and watched. I did nothing to correct the inbalance of justice by this staff action. And, I had seen similar stories happen many times before. I shared in the guilt of administrative management of this problem. I don’t remember much after the incident except the victim continued to live in that residential setting and his artistic talents were never seen again. And, this late night activity was not an isolated incident. It was just an incident that was uncloaked by a member of the onlooker’s group.
I can only hope this student’s picture will live on as a reminder to all of us that injustice can occur in the midst of our apparent compliance to agency policies. I hope we will never forget our responsibility to protect all people who live within the jurisdiction of any residential care facility. I hope we will increasingly have an agency awareness to protect those for whom we accept the responsibility of personal care. I expect we need more personal punishments for those who sit irresponsibly in the seats of authority.
