50 Years of Special Education
Journey to the Heart
Mater Dei 50 Years 50 Stories
Mater Dei embodies this mysterious journey and the stories in this book reveal something of the accumulated wisdom to be found in this place. They are the stories of those touched by Mater Dei and deserve to be proclaimed, celebrated and shared. They articulate its spirit, its special role, its paradoxes and the effect it has on all who become involved with it.
The stories span the years 1957-2007. The most important of them can never be told because they are locked deep inside the thousands of children who, over that period of fifty years, have attended the school and experienced its classrooms and residential and early intervention programmes. Sometimes these stories are too deep to find their way to listeners because of the very nature of intellectual disability and its heartbreaking effects on the communicative powers of the individual. Such untold stories could explain the looks of sheer joy on the children's faces marking tiny incremental achievements, or the expressions of bewilderment and loneliness observed at other times. They hold the mystery of human beings who have survived on this planet despite enormous challenges. It is hoped that Journey to the Heart will explore the collective memory of Mater Dei, and the school itself will become, in a way, the storyteller for and on behalf of its children.
Since 1957, Mater Dei, in partnership with parents, has been an advocate, carer and educator of children and young adults with an intellectual disability. Its spirit and essence has always emanated from the students but Mater Dei also encompasses a larger network of principals, teachers and teachers' assistants (both religious and lay); social educators in the boarding school and group homes; physiotherapists, speech pathologists and nurses; administrators, benefactors, clergy, directors and members of the school board; recreational officers, bus and taxi drivers, cleaners, ground staff and volunteer helpers from the wider community. Some of these people share their own insights of Mater Dei in this book. What is consistently expressed in these stories is the children's power — though they may not speak themselves — to change the lives of others through the interaction that occurs at Mater Dei. This is the essence of what the stories are about. They tap into the rich deposit of history, tradition and love, which Mater Dei represents and holds within it.
The backdrop of the stories will be the Disability Movement in Australia reflected in government legislation, funding initiatives, research and the creative efforts of parent lobby groups and professionals. Journey to the Heart should demonstrate to society, all religions and to educational systems that they sustain a tremendous void when they ignore and deny the immeasurable contributions that people with disabilities can make if they are allowed to participate in the social and spiritual development of our world.
So be prepared ... reading this book will take you on a unique journey!
Sister Jeanie Heininger, sgs
This beautiful 240 page hard cover book is illustrated with photos spanning the history of Mater Dei over the last 50 years.
• To download a copy of the book order form, please click here. Please complete the order form and fax or mail it back to us.
• Alternatively you can send us an email to place your order.
To read more about our history please click here to read our CEO/Principal's article
from the Matters Magazine May 2007.