to find the title of this BBC drama offensive

[junipertree2]

I am referring to the show 'Subnormal' which tells the story of how black children were inappropriately placed in special education in the 1960s and 1970s. The BBC website is carrying the stories of people who were placed in these schools and they are described very negatively.

While I'm sure this is an important story that needs to be told, I struggle with the implication that special need schools (which of course still exist) were filled with life's no hopers, who would 'struggle to get a labouring job.'

My son has MLD and autism and is highly intelligent in some ways. He attends a special school as there is not really the provision within the mainstream. Is anyone else feeling the same way when they see this word plastered everywhere on the BBC and in the media?

Too 'woke' OP

I think subnormal is how they were deemed at the time. It is outrageous now and I think that’s the point.

The show is supposed to be upsetting to outline the differences in attitude and the outrageous treatment.

It wouldn’t be called neuro diverse or special education because that’s not what the children were referred to. They were labelled ‘subnormal’ and to label them differently now or to shy away from the appalling misdiagnosis minimises what they suffered.

You are right to be offended because it’s offensive but I think that’s the point and it’s what it should be called.

They were actually often called special schools. That is one of the ways parents were hoodwinked. I think every poster should actually watch this important documentary.

I am in my 60s and my parents came to England before I was born. I remember, having read pp, my mum taught me to read before I went to school.
I did the same with my own children and I have only just now made the connection.

I grew up in the 70,s and 80,s in a very middle class white area ,my family were white British/Irish ,my primary school was a Catholic convent primary ,in a fairly affluent area ,I vaguely remember we had a remedial class ?0r teacher I think all the children were white ,and tbh even the remedial group were just a bit below average
I didn't really know anything about disability or racism in my little bubble
I remember in the late 80,s I had a work experience placement in a day centre type place for Severly disabled children ,they didn't seem to go to a school ,would this have been normal at the time ? My son has severe autism and learning disabilities ,so on a personal basis it interests me how differently his life and education might have been.

@junipertree2
This documentary is about non British children and how they were classified.
As the mother of two children on severely physically disabled and the other Sen.. I absolutely abhor the term.
But a light does need to be shone on the way perfectly capable children were classified and treated due to their ethnicity. I know because I was one in the 80's. Baring in mind my mother was white British and my father Caribbean, I was treated horrifically.. The reason for this is because I was painfully shy after years of racial abuse...i just did not have anything to say to these cruel teachers. So it was written on my school records that I was "educationally subnormal" Surprised the hell out of them when I scored in the top 1% of the UK with my gcse's and aced an IQ test at 172. Suddenly I was their star pupil and they couldn't do enough for me. The hypocrisy was not lost on 15 year old me. So at the prize giving assembly with the Lord mayor, school governors, local paper etc, I decided to tell them about themselves.. Beat mic drop ever😂😂 Sadly my high-school years tainted my view of the world for a long time. All they had to do was take a bit of time with me but they saw my skin colour and dismissed me. The wording or the documentary makes me feel ill but its a story that needs to be told and it needs to make the viewers feel uncomfortable so it never happens again and those like me feel heard.
I'm sorry your children have to suffer but that just proves that documentarys like this are still needed. Some parts of society have yet more lessons to learn.

OP you want to change the words that were used at the time in a documentary about what was done to these children. Because you personally don't like them. And that's more of an issue than what happened to all those children?

That's really not right tbh.

The other thing is in general. That the problem with certain terms is the way they get used. So the terms that are used to bully etc get changed. And then the new terms become an insult. And so they are changed again. And so on.

It doesn't work. The problem is the attitudes. That is what needs changing.

The programme makers agree with you op, it's an offensive title, that's why they've used it..... Be angry at the past if anything, at the people who used the term then. Maybe be pleased our attention is now being drawn to how bad it used to be?