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Unsilenced: A Teacher’s Year of Battles, Breakthroughs, and Life-Changing Lessons at Belchertown State School
The year is 1969, and fresh-out-of-college smart-aleck Howard Shane has just landed his first teaching job—at Belchertown State School, a bleak institution where people with disabilities endure endless days of silence, tedium, and neglect. Howard is stunned by the conditions at Belchertown and the challenges of his new job, but as he gets to know his diverse, endearing, and intelligent students, he becomes consumed with a to unlock their communication skills and help them reach their full potential. Pitting his youthful idealism and passion against the rigidity of a rule-bound administrator, Howard battles his way to small joys and victories with his students—and, along the way, learns just as much as he teaches. A stirring and spellbinding memoir from internationally renowned AAC expert Howard Shane (Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School), Unsilenced is a candid look at a pivotal era in disability history and a deeply personal account of how all human beings can flourish when we care for each other and fight for change. Hear an Excerpt Read by Howard Shane, Ph.D. Watch a Webinar!
- GenresNonfiction
264 pages, Paperback
Published October 21, 2021
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63 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 28, 2023
What a poignant and powerful read, it HITS different. The inhumane treatment of the disabled population in the 70’ was deplorable. Even still, in 2023, the world is not set up for differences and accommodating needs. I am fired up after reading this memoir! I want to do something for the people who are looked over and struggling from the oppressive system that is in place to help them/us.
To qualify for disability services in Washington I needed to meet 4/5 disability requirements that looked at all areas of my life and that didn’t even guarantee I would GET services, I still had to wait for months to be selected from a list of individuals who qualified!!!!!!!! Think of all the people who don’t meet 4/5 disability requirements, who are still disabled, unable to work, and/or go to school! What do they do? What is there to help them? These are people not checklists!!!!! They still need intervention and deserve care!!! The system is unfair, unjust, and I see red just thinking about it. How do we dismantle and rebuild the disability system and not upheave the individuals who need the system? WHAT ARE THE RIGHT QUESTIONS AND WHAT ARE THE ANSWERS!!!
Also, Mrs. Sharp still is the worst. Literally eat rocks.
To qualify for disability services in Washington I needed to meet 4/5 disability requirements that looked at all areas of my life and that didn’t even guarantee I would GET services, I still had to wait for months to be selected from a list of individuals who qualified!!!!!!!! Think of all the people who don’t meet 4/5 disability requirements, who are still disabled, unable to work, and/or go to school! What do they do? What is there to help them? These are people not checklists!!!!! They still need intervention and deserve care!!! The system is unfair, unjust, and I see red just thinking about it. How do we dismantle and rebuild the disability system and not upheave the individuals who need the system? WHAT ARE THE RIGHT QUESTIONS AND WHAT ARE THE ANSWERS!!!
Also, Mrs. Sharp still is the worst. Literally eat rocks.
July 18, 2021
"It began in 1969, at a school with a name that's repellent to modern ears: 'Belchertown State School for the Feeble-Minded.' Located in the sleepy town of Belchertown, Massachusetts, it was a grim institution where children with a wide range of disabilities were warehoused for nearly a century. At that time, parents of children with disabilities had few alternatives when it came to raising and educating their children."
This fantastic memoir is an important addition to the history of people with disabilities. This is a story that MUST be told.
Howard Shane was only 22 when he took a teaching position at the Belchertown State School. Much has been written about the institutions where "disabled" people were warehoused in the past. However, this book is completely unlike any other.
Institutions such as the Belchertown State School were not places of learning as one would expect from the name. It's full name says much more about it: The Belchertown State School for the Feeble-minded. These were NOT places where hope or inspiration could be found. Instead, the residents were taught either only the basics of self-care, or were taught nothing at all.
When Howard Shane arrived to begin his teaching position, he had no idea that it would shape his entire future.
Determined to actually educate his students, who were the most severely physically disabled residents of the "school," Howard devised a way for the non-verbal students to actually communicate. This invention changed the lives of his students in untold ways.
His dedication to actually educating his students caused him to butt heads with the administration continuously. His views were seen as radical and his goals for his students were seen as unrealistic and a waste of time.
This book will grab your attention and is 100% unputdownable. Readers will find themselves rooting, not only for Howard Shane, but also for the students in his unconventional classroom.
This book is important. We need to remember the past and how people with disabilities were viewed and treated. This knowledge is essential so that society is never allowed to slip back into believing the uneducated views of the past.
I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who believes that every person, despite their physical and mental disabilities, are important and deserve the chance to be happy and to live a fulfilling life.
I am very much hoping that Dr. Howard Shane decides to write a follow up to this memoir. I would be extremely interested in hearing more about his career and the devices he helped to create. In my view, Howard C. Shane is an exceptional human being and his life and work need to be celebrated.
I rate this book as 5+ OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and I will be eagerly awaiting the next volume of his memoirs.
.
*** Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book. ***
To see photographs of the #BelchertownStateSchool go to:
http://bit.ly/Unsilenced2021
This fantastic memoir is an important addition to the history of people with disabilities. This is a story that MUST be told.
Howard Shane was only 22 when he took a teaching position at the Belchertown State School. Much has been written about the institutions where "disabled" people were warehoused in the past. However, this book is completely unlike any other.
Institutions such as the Belchertown State School were not places of learning as one would expect from the name. It's full name says much more about it: The Belchertown State School for the Feeble-minded. These were NOT places where hope or inspiration could be found. Instead, the residents were taught either only the basics of self-care, or were taught nothing at all.
When Howard Shane arrived to begin his teaching position, he had no idea that it would shape his entire future.
Determined to actually educate his students, who were the most severely physically disabled residents of the "school," Howard devised a way for the non-verbal students to actually communicate. This invention changed the lives of his students in untold ways.
His dedication to actually educating his students caused him to butt heads with the administration continuously. His views were seen as radical and his goals for his students were seen as unrealistic and a waste of time.
This book will grab your attention and is 100% unputdownable. Readers will find themselves rooting, not only for Howard Shane, but also for the students in his unconventional classroom.
This book is important. We need to remember the past and how people with disabilities were viewed and treated. This knowledge is essential so that society is never allowed to slip back into believing the uneducated views of the past.
I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who believes that every person, despite their physical and mental disabilities, are important and deserve the chance to be happy and to live a fulfilling life.
I am very much hoping that Dr. Howard Shane decides to write a follow up to this memoir. I would be extremely interested in hearing more about his career and the devices he helped to create. In my view, Howard C. Shane is an exceptional human being and his life and work need to be celebrated.
I rate this book as 5+ OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and I will be eagerly awaiting the next volume of his memoirs.
.
*** Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book. ***
To see photographs of the #BelchertownStateSchool go to:
http://bit.ly/Unsilenced2021
November 1, 2021
People with disabilities have so much to teach the rest of us, it brings tears to my eyes. There is only praise for this story, written in unapologetic autobiographical form. This book is as heartfelt and heart-warming as it is astounding, though, at the uncaring, unfeeling and horrific ways disabled people have been treated in the past, in institutions where they had been placed as being "better off," by societies' standards, in years gone by. Years such as in the 1960's and 1970's.
Thank God, the young and cocky Howard C. Shane came on board! Ha, ha! He did not know what he was getting into but he certainly swallowed a time or two, then landed solidly on his two feet, and became an effective teacher to his "core group" of "teachers"; an advocate for their rights in particular and the rights of people with disabilities, in general; and a champion innovator on their behalf.
From Ron, Ruth, Teddy, Dennis, Wendy, Barbara, Ed and others, of the Belchertown State School 'gang' of residents, Shane went from strength to strength to give them, and almost countless others, who had been silent, a means of communicating and becoming unsilenced. His Expressor, which he and a couple others developed, was a marvel of ingenuity, instrumental in so doing.
Nowadays, there is still much "prejudice, bias, ignorance and fear" regarding disabilities people have, Mr. Shane states, but his hope is that they will continue to be eradicated. He hopes caregivers, professionals, the general public and self-advocates will continue to champion and innovate with depth of compassion, empathy and sincere care.
To finish up the book, there is an epilogue and some Discussion Questions to help focus one's thoughts on the various issues spoken about throughout the memoir.
May freedom freely ring out for individuals with disabilities, to full potential. Afterall, their ability counts. This is likely the most valuable and important lesson to learn from this account. Now to apply it in life as did Shane, whose humble beginnings as a teacher in a basement classroom continued to progress with all his wonderful helps over the years for the good and benefit of those who needed a boost to help themselves. Well done! This book gets my full vote of five stars!
~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~
September 2021
Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the review copy given by the publisher.
Thank God, the young and cocky Howard C. Shane came on board! Ha, ha! He did not know what he was getting into but he certainly swallowed a time or two, then landed solidly on his two feet, and became an effective teacher to his "core group" of "teachers"; an advocate for their rights in particular and the rights of people with disabilities, in general; and a champion innovator on their behalf.
From Ron, Ruth, Teddy, Dennis, Wendy, Barbara, Ed and others, of the Belchertown State School 'gang' of residents, Shane went from strength to strength to give them, and almost countless others, who had been silent, a means of communicating and becoming unsilenced. His Expressor, which he and a couple others developed, was a marvel of ingenuity, instrumental in so doing.
Nowadays, there is still much "prejudice, bias, ignorance and fear" regarding disabilities people have, Mr. Shane states, but his hope is that they will continue to be eradicated. He hopes caregivers, professionals, the general public and self-advocates will continue to champion and innovate with depth of compassion, empathy and sincere care.
To finish up the book, there is an epilogue and some Discussion Questions to help focus one's thoughts on the various issues spoken about throughout the memoir.
May freedom freely ring out for individuals with disabilities, to full potential. Afterall, their ability counts. This is likely the most valuable and important lesson to learn from this account. Now to apply it in life as did Shane, whose humble beginnings as a teacher in a basement classroom continued to progress with all his wonderful helps over the years for the good and benefit of those who needed a boost to help themselves. Well done! This book gets my full vote of five stars!
~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~
September 2021
Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the review copy given by the publisher.
August 29, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
Wow, what a remarkable journey Howard Shane has shared with readers! This proves how much of a positive difference one person can make on many people's lives. Together with other employees at Belchertown, he improved the quality of life for so many residents. His coordination with professors and engineers has created a life changing communication aid that was the starting either point for further technology development.
Although this book provided a lot of detail, and that may turn some readers off, it actually helped me feel like I was right there experiencing what was going on.
I highly recommend this book.
Wow, what a remarkable journey Howard Shane has shared with readers! This proves how much of a positive difference one person can make on many people's lives. Together with other employees at Belchertown, he improved the quality of life for so many residents. His coordination with professors and engineers has created a life changing communication aid that was the starting either point for further technology development.
Although this book provided a lot of detail, and that may turn some readers off, it actually helped me feel like I was right there experiencing what was going on.
I highly recommend this book.
August 28, 2021
What an incredibly powerful memoir. I had so many emotions reading this one.
I'm heartbroken that so many were subject to such horrible treatment at places like Belchertown. So many lives that were shuttered away, so many voices lost. I'm also heartbroken that, despite all the progress society has made over the last few decades, society is often still inaccessible for many, and people still don't have access to the technology and resources they need.
This was also a fascinating and bittersweet glimpse at the state of accessibility in the late 1960s. Though I'm very familiar with modern AAC and switch access, I've admittedly never thought much about how communicating with switches worked prior to computers.
I kept imagining how things might have been different for his students if they had been born into a world in which communication was possible with just eye movements on a computer. For so many throughout history, this was never a possibility, and I'm saddened for those who never had the opportunities to communicate that modern technology has brought.
So many of these advancements are thanks to Shane and people like him who paved the way with their determination and creativity.
Despite the difficult nature of this memoir, Shane's words overwhelmingly filled me with a sense of hope for the future. Seeing how Shane was bothered by Ruth and Ron's communication needs, experimented with possible solutions based on his limited resources, and continued to dedicate his career to AAC strategies was so inspiring. This story is such a beautiful picture of advocacy and allyship.
I highly recommend this for anyone interested in accessibility and disability rights and advocacy.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
I'm heartbroken that so many were subject to such horrible treatment at places like Belchertown. So many lives that were shuttered away, so many voices lost. I'm also heartbroken that, despite all the progress society has made over the last few decades, society is often still inaccessible for many, and people still don't have access to the technology and resources they need.
This was also a fascinating and bittersweet glimpse at the state of accessibility in the late 1960s. Though I'm very familiar with modern AAC and switch access, I've admittedly never thought much about how communicating with switches worked prior to computers.
I kept imagining how things might have been different for his students if they had been born into a world in which communication was possible with just eye movements on a computer. For so many throughout history, this was never a possibility, and I'm saddened for those who never had the opportunities to communicate that modern technology has brought.
So many of these advancements are thanks to Shane and people like him who paved the way with their determination and creativity.
Despite the difficult nature of this memoir, Shane's words overwhelmingly filled me with a sense of hope for the future. Seeing how Shane was bothered by Ruth and Ron's communication needs, experimented with possible solutions based on his limited resources, and continued to dedicate his career to AAC strategies was so inspiring. This story is such a beautiful picture of advocacy and allyship.
I highly recommend this for anyone interested in accessibility and disability rights and advocacy.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
December 30, 2022
Unsilenced is a memoir written by Howard Shane, a former Special Education teacher who spent one year teaching at the Belchertown State School - a horrendous institution for adults and children with disabilities in 1969. Shane was completely unprepared for both the conditions of the institution and the job he was expected to do there, and he pushed boundaries every single day he worked there. He developed the most beautiful relationships with his students and many of the staff who worked there, and also gave his students the gift of an education, something that most would not have received had he not fought for them. Additionally (and this is where Out of My Mind comes in), he started experimenting with low-tech and eventually high tech (at least for the time period) Augmented and Assisted Communication for two non-verbal students. These students went from desperately trying to communicate through blinking or frowns to being able to locate words on a clock-like template and trigger a light using a move of their wrist. For students who have lived in an institution for most of their lives and have no opportunity to have conversations with others, the attempts Shane made to help them communicate were likely the greatest gift these two students ever received.
I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read and review this book. I am currently searching for a copy of a book cited in this one, called I Raise My Eyes to Say Yes by Ruth Sienkiewicz-Mercer and Steven B. Kaplan. Ruth was actually one of the students Shane worked with and described in his book. It was published before I was born... so I'm still looking for a copy, but that would be such a cool book to read. Thanks to much to NetGalley and Brookes Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this powerful book!
I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read and review this book. I am currently searching for a copy of a book cited in this one, called I Raise My Eyes to Say Yes by Ruth Sienkiewicz-Mercer and Steven B. Kaplan. Ruth was actually one of the students Shane worked with and described in his book. It was published before I was born... so I'm still looking for a copy, but that would be such a cool book to read. Thanks to much to NetGalley and Brookes Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this powerful book!
November 6, 2022
What an incredible book this was. Howard Shane was a young man in his twenties, when he accepted a teaching position at Belchertown State School. Howard had no idea what he was facing when he embarked on his teaching journey at Belchertown. Education for the disabled in the 1960’s is not even remotely similar to current times. Howard is stunned at the conditions in which the students live and how their education is carried out at the school. He embarks on a teaching journey of improving the life and education of his students with innovative ideas and techniques. I highly recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.
July 14, 2022
this book went from another school assignment to being one of my FAVES ! normally not into nonfiction but this was so up my alley and beautifully written capturing the raw emotion of someone in Howard’s position a few decades a day. by the time i was done, i felt a connection to every child. horrible and eye opening - we have come a far way in terms of disabilities both physical and neurological. love working with this population and being a part of the constant fight for what is right as Howard puts it. powerful read !!!!!
October 21, 2021
This was a well written book with an eye opening story. At times it was heartbreaking and difficult to continue reading due to the information but the author was amazing at keeping the reader’s attention.
September 14, 2024
A memoir of a difficult subject. Late 60's to 70's.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews