Our Aim: A society in which deafblind people have the permanent support and recognition necessary to be equal citizens.
Scottish Charity No. SC 031167
Company Reg. No. 216974
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My name is Michael Rooney, born in Maryhill, Glasgow into a large family in the 1930’s. In early childhood I contracted rubella. Due to the 2nd World War, medical treatment was poor and my condition got worse. My mother could not understand the cause of my ear and eye infections. Finally I landed up at casualty in Oakbank Hospital at Round Toll – it’s no longer there. That’s when my mother found out that I had rubella. I was born at home with a midwife and no doctor. Later I was treated with antiseptics to clear my infections but due to rubella my speech and hearing and bad sight stopped me learning. Ordinary teachers at that time had little understanding and I suffered until I was 7. They treated me as if I was “slow”.
The Education Board in Bath Street was the place they confirmed the reason for my lack of understanding and I landed up in a school in Percy Street for diseased children. Than at 7 years of age I was taken out of mainstream school. The teachers then hadn’t the time or patience for the likes of me. So from 7-10 I was institutionalised and by this time large families with elder sons and husbands were taken away to war and what with this and bullying, I was made to stand up for myself. There was a lack of food, medicine and money – we just had to get on with it. Hearing aids then, great big painful things like earphones that pilots wear with 2 large heavy Ever-Ready batteries that had to be carried about in a shoulder bag. Too embarrassing to go out in the street and thick, thick glasses but better than nothing.
A lot has happened since those days. As soon as I retired I was able to come to Deafblind Scotland where I get help to get me around and this gives my wife some time to do what she wants to do. At Deafblind Scotland I receive a lot of the help I need and I meet and associate with others like myself. At SAGOD (Scottish Advisory Group on Deafblindness) meetings we have every quarter where we put our case for Deafblind Scotland to the local authorities about funding which we need all the time to keep this good service running. I really hope the local authority will do the right thing and provide funding per annum. We shouldn’t have to beg.
