I do care about the well-being of
these poor kids.

A Turkish minister on Monday accused Sarah Ferguson, Britain´s Duchess of York, of smearing Turkey´s image on a TV show about orphanages in Turkey to be aired on a British television channel later this week.

Nimet Cubukcu, the minister in charge of women and family affairs, said the television program is timed to air at around the same time as the European Union is scheduled to release a report on Turkey´s progress toward membership.

"It is obvious that in this incidence, Sarah Ferguson is trying to leave Turkey in the midst of a smudge campaign," Cubukcu said.

more from BBC News:

Children´s plight moves princess

The princess said the experience left her feeling angry and upset The plight of abandoned children in a Turkish orphanage made Princess Eugenie cry, pictures show. She accompanied her mother the Duchess of York and an undercover news team to investigate conditions in an Istanbul centre for 60 disabled children. Afterwards the princess said the experience had made her "so angry", and her "eyes had been opened". The Royal pair also visited Romanian institutions as part of the special report for ITV1´s Tonight programme. The princess told Tonight: "In the hustle and bustle of a cosmopolitan city, in a popular tourist destination it´s hard to comprehend places like that exist. My eyes have been opened." The duchess donned a wig and headscarf disguise She wore a disguise of a black wig and headscarf to visit the Saray institution near the Turkish city of Ankara, where more than 700 disabled children are housed. Inside she and the reporting team found children tied to their beds or left in cots all day - not even being taken out to be fed. One child, who was not allowed outside, was discovered crawling along the corridor to feel the sun on his face. Her sister Princess Beatrice also went with her mother to institutions in Romania with the programme. The duchess, who works with a number of children´s charities, wanted to see for herself whether conditions were improving for orphans and disabled children in Romania following a similar investigation by the team three years ago. The duchess said: "Everybody always rushes to what the front page says, or what´s sexy, or the glamorous Hollywood party where you´re raising money for paediatric aids, which is fantastic and a great job. "But there is still a child in Romania saying ´help me´." The programme will be broadcast on ITV1 on 6 November.

Well... again, ridiculous behavior on the part of the Turks, sorry guys! They care more about an image then an orphanage of disabled children being tied to beds!

 Actually he is one of the few who have responded in such ways. I have watched this item on turkish television and was happy with the responds. There were people who did have their doubts about the intentions of the Duchess yes, but they added that these things shouldnt exist at all and that it is a shame, no matter how it comes to daylight. The journalists also were very disappointed at the reaction of some people, who seemed to care only about their image.

I was shocked to see that this exist in a metropolitan as Ankara, with such tight governmental control. And also to see that in documentaries made there, all the children were ´released´, but when they showed the shots again, you could see they cut off the ropes, and there were still parts left on beds. So sad.

I am now watching this and I am dismayed, horrified, saddened, not sure what else I can say, but I am totally suprised that Turkey treats its disabled, abandoned, mentally handicapped in such a way.

I saw the previous documentaries in Romania which reduced me to tears, and sadly the places visited in Turkey were only a little better.

Please Turkey change you ways, accept the disabled and mentally handicapped, treat them like humans and stop the discrimination and the humiliation.

Will they, libralady after this incident?? Wishful thinking. I wish and hope for the best!

1908: Pastor Ernst Jakob Christoffel founded the first home for blind, deaf and dumb and disabled persons in Turkey.

http://www.light-for-the-world.org/en_wer_geschichte.php

turkish orphans

Just to introduce a slightly more positive note to this thread, there is an excellent school for the disabled here.  Of course these children are not orphans and this is a fairly affluent area but I am sure this cannot be the only school like this in Turkey.

http://www.bodrumsaglik.org/En/

....and they appoint these (?) women as ministers in charge of women and family affairs.

 Actually the only place I have seen anyone disabled in Turkey was in Bodrum and I went and spoke to the guy; he had excellent English. 

 Tonight is a follow up programme of the meetings held with the relevent departments in government.  The initial trailer of the programme show some very defensive government officials.

 Where?

 ITV 8:00pm in the UK

More follow ups about this topic.:

http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/world/10308502.asp?scr=1

Turkish Foreign Minister  criticized the ITV television channel’s methods, saying the use of a hidden camera is a violation of the children´s rights, adding that the allegations are being investigated.

...

Some Turkish authorities have accused the duchess of attempting to smear the country’s reputation.

what can I say?

if they had put half of the efforts of ´covering the things up´ into ´correcting the things´ that country would be in much better shape..

And some are saying smearing the "country´s reputation".. phew!!!

I just want to bend those people´s ears until it hurts and force them watch that programme again and again while slapping on the face..

This is heartbreaking... 

This is more than heart breaking..it is annoying..it makes your blood boil..

I watched a similar programme many years ago about China/and its orphans..It was very upsetting but I could not accuse chinese gov for that, in the end, they are a country with 500$ GDP, the level of acceptible care for orphans requires some wealth..

But Turkey, is a much richer country!!

And and some people are still coming up with that ´national pride´ thing.!!!

That is annoying!!

 Do you think things will get better, since they televised this?  Will they make efforts to improve the care or will they just deny it?  Does Turkey have childrens protective services?

 My opinion,things will get better for them,and they will receive more care on a high level too i may add.

Watching this reminded of the documentary made a couple of years ago, about a family who walked on al fours, living somewhere in the South East of Turkey, close to the Syrian border.

What strikes me as so odd, the children in the orphanages, not necessarily orphans but more likely to have been abandonned by their parents because of their disability or handicap.  Yet the family whose children walked on all fours, were completely accepted by the villagers.

All 19 children (yes they had 19 children and if I remember correctly the husband and wife were related quite closely) initially walked on all fours, but eventually only 5 remained that way, basically because they could not balance themselves on two feet. 

The children and adolescents in the film last week, suffered anything from Aspergers Syndrome and autism to Downs and other more severe physical handicaps.

I doubt that the televisation of this will achieve very much until the attitudes of both the wider society and parents change.  All the authorities can do is improve the conditions and the staff training and care.

A question I do have, what sort of care system is in place for those parents who do care for their disabled or handicapped child?  This did not appear to be covered in the programme.

 I don´t think there is anything formal in place to assist families.  I think that some of these families do not have the means for caring for children with disabilities.  Perhaps they are entrusting their children to these agencies hoping that they will be better off.  This may be a surprise to the families as well, which only breaks my heart more.  I am not sure how Turkish people feel about disabled people in general, but I think that families are left on their own if they have a disabled child.  It´s just all very sad.   

I think you are probably right Elizabeth.

That was sort of broached in the film, the attitudes, but that is exactly my point in referring to the family whose children walked on all fours, and these were well into their adult life - they were accepted by the wider social group and not made outcast.

I remember watching that - it was quite fascinating actually - it was big news when this family were ´discovered´.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4782492.stm

 Ouh I remember it too - very scary!

i think mr erdogan the turkish genius had a solution for this - have more kids! fill up the orphanages!

 I am sure there is an oxymoron in this sentence!!

 Twice today I have heard that word, oxymoron

Nobody can deny all. That might have happened in Türkiye. But the way of bringing it to daylight is not fair. What if a Türk lady has entered into an institution of a Western country in such a sneaky way and shot the things?? Is the Europe pure clear? I don´t never believe so.

I have seen humanly shameful scenes even in the streets shot by a Türk journalist women who was frankly directing questions to the European Governors and getting silly answers explaining nothing...

Just Look At Yourself Europe.. You are not "Sütten çýkma ak kaþýk!" Yani, "very very pure and as white as milk" bla bla...

 Ã find myself agree with this.

OMG here we go again.  You are more concerned with "bad publicity" than for those children.  Thank GOD TV programme makers DO bring these things "into daylight" and don´t leave them shut away, out of sight, out of mind.

I am sure if you are one of the children, you would not give a damn about the bad publicity....

 We have "undercover" investigations in our own country all the time - it is a GOOD THING!!!!  You really make me so angry.  You concern for these children is LESS than your concern that Turkey is being criticised. 

Forget about Turkey, forget about Europe, just think about these children!

 WE DO look at ourselves all the time and that is a GOOD THING.   We dont say we are pure and whiter than white.

You are so insular and concerned with BORDERS. If you don´t like this kind of publicity, then DO SOMETHING about these places...

 I agree 100% with what you said in above 3 posts!!

 But not the third?

 Sorry edited Yes also the third. Not sure about the fourth one though I saw it too, but scary? Just ´a little strange´

 AE,i dont understand why do you attack him/her ?!

S/he already didnt deny all as been said above,but adding another point of view on it,which i believe its true

Someone ´Duchess in this case´ go under cover to a place/country,visit it and take some shots then play it their in their Media.

Ýts another point,which doesnt deny what has been going there is/was horrible !

 It is if you read further where suddenly it is about ´Europe´ and that we arent ´pure white milk´. That adds a whole different dimension to what was said..

What is wrong about going undercover and discovering something that otherwise probably wouldn´t have been known for a long time? There had been earlier official documentaries in that place, where they nicely cut away the ropes they tied up the children with. I prefer an undercover operation that shows the truth, than an honest operation that shows a lie.

CANLI I dont understand YOU either. 

I don´t care about people´s motives or gain from revealing these stories, and I don´t care what country they offend, I just want to see an end to this kind of suffering and I don´t give a damn about any country´s reputation (including my own).

Thanks CANLI, understanding me.. I cannot understand how can TheAenigma understands that i am less concerned with those children?

And yes, i find myself indivually insufficient for helping those children.

I see it as a government matter. It must be dealed with a system.

I wonder TheAenigma how you concern with those? What do you do for them, instead of advocating them here??

Moreover i am not creating those borders? Of course this is a politic event. If not the Lady should have searched for the places needed to be surveyed just nearer to her country..

Am not i a bit right ?

 +1000000

If there is nothing to hide, what difference would it make if the person was undercover.  As a matter of fact, if the Duchess didn´t go undercover do you really think she would have been allowed in, given the deplorable conditions???? 

If everything was all sparkly and pretty she would have been welcomed with open arms and the publicity would have been welcomed and applauded because it would have all been sunshine and roses.

 I am too angry to reply to you in a civil way...maybe tomorrow.

Your government should NEVER HAVE LET THIS HAPPEN in the first place, so I would not rely on them "dealing" with it.

If you are also asking me what I DO about things that concern me, that is none of your concern.  I have never been someone to complain but take no action.  I do enough thank you. Do you?

 Well DK,this can be done by Turks,and i wouldnt find anything wrong with it

Ýf a Turkish organization or something like have done it,i wouldnt have find anything wrong with it.

But an outsider,and in this way...?!!

Ýt ring 2 words in my mind,Türkiye and EU !

That is another dimension too.

 This i TOTALY agree with you.

 This comment makes me puke.

You would rather they suffer than be discovered by an "outsider". If A Turkish TV programme found the same in my country, I would be shouting their praises and thanking them for telling the public about it.

Goodnight you heartless people...

 Apparantly they didn´t I don´t know what her motives were or where she heard there was such a place. But if I would hear about such a place anywhere in the world and had the financial means to undertake smt like that, I wouldn´t think twice. But apparantly some people think a foreigner shouldnt be allowed to bring the truth to daylight in other countries.

I agree with the Turkey-EU dimension, but to be honest it doesnt bother me. If EU really doesn´t want Turkey they will find enough other ways to do so, not just because of the image this Duchess has given. Other recently added EU countries have had documentaries about exactly the same, yet they were allowed.

 +1

I would also feel anger at my own government and media that it didnt happen before.

 + 2 

It cannot be said emphatically enough.....It should make absolutely NO DIFFERENCE who exposes this kind of situation!  

(I will hate to say that) I agree with Aenigma here..

Year after year many many things have been covered up because of that ´national pride´.

They are torturing and killing people  and then ´ah..dont make abig thing so that our national pride is not damaged´.

They are treating those kids like an animals and then when a foreigner comes and uncovers it, all together ´what was she doing? who is she?´

God´s sake..why dont you FIRST investigate if it is true or not?

And I was really cross and angry the other night when I watched the programme and then read the critics in Turkish papers..

You cannot see inside my heart as well Enigma , right? And i cannot understand why so much offended you get in this way? I didn´t ever said the things happening that place to poor little ones were okay. But any ccountry even Europeans have such kind of shameful views..

I don´t care if you feel yourself govermentless(!) or i mean not belonging to any goverment.

But i do feel myself very much sticked with my country and that hurts me being famous with such a shameful view? Being promoted with such matters. you not caring does not make the things impolitic. Still it is impolitic. If you are only caring humanist part, that is your way and you cannot blame me i am not caring.. I am caring plus ways... 2 ways... Cannot that be meaning that i do care those children are behaving in the places i am living? That hurts me much. But still it is important  how it is displayed..

Anyway.. You are prejudice and i believe you behave like you feel yourself only the humanist of the world!! hah!

go on your way.. good luck.. and don´t forget that the anger distance you from being humanist!!

 The matter of Türkiye - EU doesnt bother me either,but the idea of using those childrent in political means,make me more than PUKE too AE

Ýf its about the children,the Duchess could have used the diplomatic ways and bring the issue on higher levels

But instead ,the media has been used !

And im sorry,but this say something...and in my understanding not a nice thing !

Your country is not Türkey AE and not treated like Türkiye too !

How the children treated there is horrible,and how they have been used by none heartless people is ugly !

Sometimes the media is your only (and most powerful) weapon CANLI.  Think of Watergate. There are many faults with media, but it is also a very powerful tool to right wrongs.

And please stop saying "your country" and "my country" I really, seriously, don´t care about borders, just LIFE.

You and Anka seem to be to caught up in the HOW instead of the WHY. 

Isn´t the IMPORTANT thing here that this situation has been brought out in the open?  What is the difference in HOW it was done?  

It seems you should get your priorities straight.

Yes,i agree,totally agree

But in this case,the Duchess has another weapons too,many actually if she choose

So pls dont tell me her choice of using the media has nothing to do with political means.

Ýt has and that idea itself,is ugly !

 I disagree, but refuse to argue all night

Do you know for a fact that she did not try diplomatic means to begin with?  Whatever the case, there is NOTHING wrong with what she did!

Yes.. I am very much dealed with Why?? I ask myself, why do they projected on that in my country? What was the priority of it than anywhere in the world? Why not Africa? Why not Afghanistan? Why not China? Why not the homelesss people in the European Streets? Children suffering there muchmore than anywhere.... Why not the homelesss people in the European Streets Why my country? Yea my country...

I wish i could feel countryless like you... But i do feel. I have my country and i am a human, at the same time... Cannot i be? WHo can determine my priorities?

 Good question GG

For 2 reasons actually

1- Talking about the children,its ugly to use such horrible thing as another rob in a political game

Ýt is just UGLY

2- The reason of the HOW is boring and repetitive,is how to pick on Türkiye ´sry handsom but its true,and im sorry if you dont see that from where you are´ and make stress on the bad things

Those 2 reasons,for people like us ´Turks/Easterns´ who face almost same treatment,is really annoying.

Needless to say,that doesnt make the actual event ´how the children been treated´ less horrified

Canli

Could you tell me what that idea is?

I mean in the same programme there were romanian childeren too..

Do you really think ´they are sitting there and planning -oh what can we do today against Turkey-´?

 Ohhh No handsom

Not just Türkiye

 You determine your priorities and it is clear from your writings here that your priority is not the children in this story.  Your main concern is how it makes your country look.  All you seem to care about is that they didn´t pick on some other country! 

I guarantee you that exposes like this happen all the time and in many more countries than Turkey and with good reason!  Because countries like to hide their dirty little secrets. 

Sorry but this kind of blindness is just obscene. 

 Canli I think you are totally missing the REAL ugliness and I find that completely disheartening. 

I´m going home now.

http://www.milliyet.com.tr/Yazar.aspx..an%20D%C3%BCndar&ver=12

Anka, a Can Dundar column in Turkish for you..

He explains it quite nicely how years anda years of reflexive thinking such as  ´ah what ever you do dont damage country or country´s reputation´ let these things continue..

These news should hurt only people who were mistreating those kids.. and it is good that ´at least´ those kids wont be treated the same again.

You d better not try to teach me how to be caring or humanist... You like to feel yourselves only the ones who care... Looking from just one aspect and ignoring my multi aspects...

Go on how you think in simple ways...

I cannot try to change your sights, and you can never change mines.

And i don´t care how you think about my priorities or senses.

I have mines, you have yours. And there are the realities... Nothing changes the things happening around and the intentions...

I just could do one thing. Invite you to avoid being "prejudice" hah! That is ironic you be prejudice towards me. Still behaving like to find a "scapegoat". And i am not it...

Türkiye is not it.

good night people of the God.

As i said many times GG,and made stress too on it,how the childrent treated is horrible,but you seem fail to see the other ugliness

And that would proven my point,why they have used the Media,they know how to talk to their people !

Night everyone

 and the Spaghetti Monster?

 Where this kind of suffering is going on, there are no "multi aspects" and nobody gives a damn about your reputation.

Unfortunately it is because of your "priorities" and people like you, that these things are hidden and continue.

Stop being so paranoid - this is not about Turkey, or any other country, it is about children who are suffering in vile conidtions.  I have no prejudice against Turkey at all.

 news just in a pastafarian splinter group have hidden bombs in alphabetti spaghetti .....if they do off, they could spell disaster

 This is no "splinter group" they are evil terrorists from the MLA (Macaroni Liberation Army)

If you find splinters in your spaghetti you can probably claim huge amounts of money in compensation!

Nice you don´t care the reputation and don´t have prejudices on Türkiye Enigma.

But you had on me. I have meant that.

Always miseading the point i mean..

Being so nervous is you...

and behaving the way like you have all the humanly senses and ignore mines..

Priority?

Who put the priority in myheart?

You cannot judge my heart and have no right on me to be nervous against me.

If you are so much sensitive, i invite you to the quietness..

Being sensitive in such an important subject does not give you the right to be arrogant towards other people´s points of views and to ignore how i first commented that there was nothing to be denied....

ANYWAYS....All concrete minds hah?!

Ahhh canim Anka I have been waiting so long for you to finish perfecting this post this morning

I have nothing more to say on the subject and am leaving the "last word" to you because I know how important image, pride and reputation are to you

Have a wonderful day

Yep, if i have reasons to be pride of and have reputation inherited that much nice,

i will feel that way haha!

I must say that putting myself in the place of you i would be reacting in your way,

but please you also try to understand me a little bit.

That´s not only about me trying to save our reputation blindly...

Sana da iyi günler Enigma Arkadaþ 

This is very admirable actually, and I know how you must feel about us "evil Westerners" who have absolutely no right to criticise so I do understand.

It probably feels biased against Turkey here because the website is mostly about Turkish issues.

Anyway, I promised you the last word!!!

Haha! Enigma you could not keep your promise..

And still misleading my friend. I haven´t call all you Europeans "evil Westerners"

I have lots of friends from the west.

But the sun rises from the East, don´t forget that ! Ha ha ha

Aren´t you behaving so much nervous and offended in defending yourself, although you blame me doing that.

I just don´t trust the intentions of that Duchess...No need to type all here again.

But of course i don´t know you and before knowing your heart i cannot judge you as "evil" haha

And you should not judge me that way as well. It was not fair i feel

If you know me more, you would question how you have judged me that way

FEEL FREE IN TYPING MORE, DON´T HESITATE CAUSE OF YOUR PROMISE, I´ll IGNORE IT.

 I ENJOYED THIS CONVERSATION AT LEAST

I wonder why reports on lovely Turkish coasts never stir up so much controversy. Aren´t they biased and showing one side too? Should Ian Wright be held responsible for presenting Turkish heritage despite the fact he´s not Turkish? I wonder what his underlying motives could be...

There´s loads of s*it going on in ALL countries and there are reports about ALL the countries, not necessarily done by their citizens. Why doesn´t it shock you to see an American documentary on dying children in Africa but when it comes to Turkey it suddenly becomes a matter of propaganda?

Congratulations on the way you´re brought up. You do represent all your country wants - blind devotion and inabilty to distance yourself from any issue that would make you question your country´s policy. Follow blindly, criticise west only, never be constructive, praise local heroes, there are no issues to deal with in Turkey, jails are perfect, orphanages home-like and censorship is for your own good - all bad things are JUST evil west´s propaganda.

BTW, Romania´s orphanages have been shown on tv countless number of times yet they got to the EU.

The answer is in your last sentence.

For many years Turkish was promised but still not gotten in EU.

But Romania has gotten in. What is the difference than, if there is no difference about the other bad parts?

Still i agree with your first sayings. You are right in your point but my point is still valid

Good Morning all. I have just finished reading all the comments on this very sad topic, and for what its worth I think everyone has a kind heart and can keep their reputations. Just the fact that you have written here means you care enough about it.

Without discussions things do not get changed.

i think we should see both sides of coin about orphanages.

one side is; there are so many orphanages like that in turkey and i think what we have to do is to stop questioning real intention of duchess and do somethnig for those children. The problem is there are not enough employed inspector and enough professional staff for government orphanages and rest home( old people´s home). To think that Europen are trying to stain Turkey is no more than stupidity. The source of news can not be more important than those children.

other side of coin is; there are 11.000 kids growing up in orphanages in turkey. i once visited one in hometown, and once in Ýstanbul. as far i saw staff were so good to kids and kids were really loving their teachers etc. they did not seem unhappy to me at all. and some of kids in orphanages go to university and become successful people (businessman, academician, sportman...) in their lives. what i am trying to say is that we should not ignore 80 % of these orphanages are not as bad as we see on TV. Lets not fire all forest just because of a few trees

 Thanks Sheena, i agree.

 objective enough

AE, my love, absolutely loved your posts here!

thank you for dealing with national pride - the pride of empty words.

sheep need education and light.

 My day is now complete

 Sheep need education and light?

Do you believe that sheep have such a mind to be educated? Hah haa! Interesting

 no, not yet, while your chopping off one head of nationalism there grow two other ugly heads.

 thats why i hate patriotism, it turns people into sheep.

 hahaha how come then sheep speak?

 I do feel a bit wooly headed today

Just nonsense of your way.. Ridiculous. Trying to insult.. No objectivity.

Being to much offended and advocate and still accusing me of being dogmatic... Hah!

enjoy yourself with your base joke shaped things..

I love to deal with the sheep in the fields

 44 of them have already been dealt

 Hehehe you clever borat

Nice job you have. Sheppard!

If you call this clever, i pity the cleverly things are not appreciated. Hah!

 Offff even you must have found that funny Anka?  She is talking about the 44 sheep slaughtered for Obama

Both of you have a point! You just refuse to see each other´s points!!!

I think this was the best post on this topic..

Excellent analysis, Ciko

 It is not very often I agree with you lately, but I do agree with you here

Great post Ciko

  eyvallah !

Apparantly you don´t watch any tv Anka. If so, you would have known that ´why Turkey´ is a very useless question in the light of all previous broadcasted documentaries on orphanages or other horrible situations in MANY other countries over the entire world.

There is nothing wrong with loving your country. But if you really love your country, you are open for any kind of critics, that will help you improve the place that you love so much, no matter where these critics come from. You would not feel that ´the world is againt only you´. That specific part of nationalism, blind devotion, feeling the whole world is trying to put you in bad daylight, feeling better than other places and being worried about your image, is, if you ask me, not love for your country. It is an ideology inspired indoctrinated and simplistic view of the world, that refuses to see that a country is a PART of the world, not the CENTRE of the world.

 +1

 Thanks for the lesson Deli Kýzýn. I appreciate it and agree the main theme of your paragraph. But i am not the one who is to be taught such things. You all insist on not understanding what i say and what is my point. You labeled me as nationalist and blind. That´s your understanding.

And i will not make any effort to change it. I know myself

 Actually my second paragraph was ´you´ as in general, not specifically you.

And I never said your were nationalist or blind, though I slightly think so

you (a team of mods) are a master of this basic diplomacy. you say what you say but later on add "oh it wasnt about you specifically"

 That is how you like to see it

 Ha ha! interesting... i agree with femmeous here

http://www.childreninneed.org/

This is what we do for our children in need.  We raise money generously and these funds do not just go to children in the UK but other parts of the world too.

I would just like to point out that the children shown in the film were not orphans but had been placed in the orphanges by their parents.

Also, this is a Turkish site, therefore items about Turkey get posted here.  We have plenty of undercover investigations in the UK and sometimes it gets things done, sometimes it does not.  It is no good ignoring what is happening.  It does not paint a bad light on Turkey its self but on the government of Turkey.

It is also nice to see some Turkish response, even with head burried in the sand approach being taken.

 Nice comment. I can only bend in front of this sayings.

more recent news:

Turkish children mistreated, Duchess´s TV film alleges

 Duchess of York witnessed disturbing scenes, including a handicapped boy lying in the corridor where he had crawled to reach sunlight shining through a window.

Other scenes, secretly filmed while she was visiting state institutions for orphans and disabled children, showed a boy being kept in a wooden box.

http://www.nationalpost.com/todays_paper/story.html?id=942695

I work for a school district. It is my job as the Transportation Manager to set up school bus transportation for children with special needs. I had been in the school bus industry for several years before taking this job, and let me tell you I have learned a lot!! I am lucky enough to have my office across the street from one of our schools for children with special needs. I go over every day to help at dismissal time to get the children on the buses. It is so nice when one of them comes over to tell you about their day. Our student population has many disabilities, mental, physical, behavioral. But when you get to know the children it is a true treat!!