Provision must be made for taking these children from their homes to the schools and for returning them to their homes. They can not, of course, return home at the noon hour and it is necessary, therefore, to provide lunch eon for them. The transportation and the lunch eon are items of additional expense to the main tenance of these schools. In most cities the chil dren are taken to and from the schools which they attend in large omnibuses drawn by horses. The tendency now is to change to the auto-bus. The seats in the buses used for this purpose are constructed to meet the physical defects of the children. Attendants accompany all buses to see that the children are properly taken in and out of the buses, the school buildings and their homes and that they have safe transportation.
In the larger cities, where rooms in the public school buildings are set apart for these children, an orthopedic surgeon or a nurse is provided to give such special treatment to the children as may be needed. The city of New York maintains 60 schools or classes for the crippled children of that municipality.
Those children who are suffering from bone tuberculosis should be segregated from the other children and provision should be made for their maintenance, if possible, in a separate building. Open-air schools should be estab lished for all children of this type.
All these different agencies for the educa tion of the crippled children still fail to pro vide facilities for some of these unfortunate children. There are many children who are so badly crippled that they are prevented from attending institutions or schools even with all the comforts and conveniences which are pro vided for them. The only way by which such
children may be instructed is through a teacher who visits them at home. To meet the needs of these children it is proposed in New York city, through funds provided by. the Associa tion of Public School Teachers, to employ visiting teachers who will go among the homes of the children and given them instruction.
Through private funds provision is made by some of the organized institutions for the care and education of crippled children whereby such children are given an opportunity to spend a few weeks in the country. Summer homes have been established for this purpose by some of these institutions in New York, Baltimore and other cities.
The work in these special classes for crippled children is based upon that of the regular ele mentary school work of the city in which the classes are organized. This work includes a large amount of handwork such as basketry, weaving, sewing, etc. Only in exceptional cases is there an effort made to carry the pupils be yond the elementary grades.
This movement of recent years to provide special classes in the public schools and home teachers for those unable to go to school, thus making an elementary education accessible for all the physically handicapped children of the country and at the same time affording them the associations and influences of home life, is a manifestation of the broad, humane, demo cratic spirit of the philosophy upon which American public education is founded.