WATHEN 1 say disabled, most people think of someone in a wheelchair. VW / but this is really only half the image of disability.

▼▼ I shall explain very simply. Tliere are two main types of disability, one to the body , one to the brain. The former is usually a person with a perfectly ordinary mind, however perhaps with a physical problem from birth or possibly someone who has fost a limb after birth.

I do not know a great deal about physical handicap, but 1 do know about mental handicap.

My brother. Neil, is mentally handicapped. .Mental handicap, as you probably know , or may have guessed by now, is where the handicap affects the brain. There are many different types of mental handicap, all do different thing, to the brain, but they ail cause certain forms of learning difficulties.

Neil is nineteen years old and at the moment is going to the Richmond Tertiary < ollegi- (London I. He is capable of doing nearly anything a mainstream person can do to some extent In many respects his and many forms of mental handicap are in a way worse than physical disability, because they affect the brain, the mind is not able to make the body do certain things, although the both could probably do them otherwise. but this does not bother Neil'

In his college, which he started this term and he likes a lot Neil does core' work, which consists of the main subjects of the Curriculum which involve developing life skills. He also takes walks in the park with his friends, where he studies wildlife. Besides college. Neil goes to three outside college activities on a regular basis. These are a youth club. Scouts, and another club specially for people like Neil. The first mentioned y outh club caters for anyone who wants to go, mainstream or not. Neil especially enjoys going there to meet all his friends and the monthly disco! Even when he is iff he is always keen to go.

The Petersham and Ham Sea Scouts was originally for mainstream participants only , but Neil and another school friend went along a few years ago. and they became the pioneers as now several people from Neil's old special school and college attend. The Scouts is probably the most active of the three; Neil goes to swimming galas and. of course. Scout Camps, in fact he and I have endured nights under snow -encrusted canvas in Ham and the Highlands of Scotland.

The last club is specially for people with learning difficulties, like Neff Neil often goes on hikes — he enjoys walking, greatly — and last half term he took a trip to Thorpe Park with his club. For the last three years, when Neil was in his old special school. Neil participated in the London Special Olympics. Over these years, Neil won two gold, two silver and three bronze medals, all either sprinting one hundred metres or walking, His most memorabk- run was in the first year, when he won the gold for the hundred metres after two heats and a final. A few days later he appeared in the Richmond. Twickenham and Barnes Times, our local newspaper.

People with a mental handicap, are often known to possess a particular Talent'. A young adult w ith severe learning difficulties, and who appeared on television several times recently, was able to draw buikiings and scenery to the absolute correct scale and to every detail, days after seeing the real article, perhaps only for a few minutes. Neil is not able to do anything so spectacular, for after all. that particular talented artist was a rare case, but Neil's memory realy is where he excels.

When we go shopping my mother or father need never take a list, for lie remembers every item. Every week, he pops down to the local news agent and picks up the television guide for the week. He will study it for a maximum of fifteen minutes, and for the rest of the week we can ask him. "Neil, what's on this evening on Channel and he will list the whole evenings television pro yjanBiirs.'

Nell's sense of direction and recognition of roads is superb, and if the driver takes a wrong turning he will be the first io notice. He is our morning alarm clock . Bec ause Iw is such an early riser, he will wake-us up w henever we want

Neil is also a great fan of sport and he knows a great deal about cricket, snooker, tennis, golf and bowls. When he watches the TV programme, A Question of Sport, which 1 believe is also shown on Star TV, he gets many of the answers right and sometimes before the contestants!

On the whole, Neil is extremely kind, and always puts his family before himself. He has no hatred in him at all Ik is polite and always very concerned about what is going on around hint We all love him and we Itope be will get on fine throughout his file and 6 always happy.