Disabled Students

[OliveOil_Med]

I was recently just thinking about what Hogwarts and other wizarding schools would help to accomidate students with disabilities. Surely, there are blind wizards, deaf wizards, paralyzed wizards. Magic can't fix everything.

How do imagine school would accomidate disabled students?

[Inverarity]

Interesting question, and it would make an interesting story.

I imagine that disabilities are somewhat rarer among wizards than among Muggles. They can heal broken bones overnight, after all. They can probably heal a lot of things that Muggle medicine can't. But you're right, magic can't fix everything.

On the other hand, magic can come up with unique solutions that Muggle technology can't match yet. Voldemort gave Pettigrew a silver hand to replace his missing one. Maybe most wizards can't just conjure one out of thin air like he did, but I'd imagine Healers are capable of creating such things. Mad-Eye Moody had a magical eye to replace his missing one. So magical prosthetics definitely exist. I don't see why they couldn't make magical ears as well.

Can wizards suffer irreparable spinal injuries and become quadriplegics or paraplegics? We know magic can regrow missing bones -- can it regenerate damaged nerves?

If it can't, then magical wheelchairs would probably have Levitation Charms. And a quadriplegic wizard could still use a wand -- he might have to hold it in his mouth. They would be much more capable and self-sufficient than a paralyzed Muggle.

For either blind or paralyzed wizards, the magical world can certainly offer companion animals as helpers that are far more intelligent than seeing eye dogs. (It seems to me this would also be excellent employment for a free elf.)

How about mental retardation? I don't think wizards would be immune to giving birth to children with congenital birth defects. A mentally handicapped wizard would be potentially dangerous if unable to control his or her magic. Would they give a retarded witch or wizard a wand?

Interesting questions indeed!

[Azhure]

How about mental retardation? I don't think wizards would be immune to giving birth to children with congenital birth defects. A mentally handicapped wizard would be potentially dangerous if unable to control his or her magic. Would they give a retarded witch or wizard a wand?

This reminds me of a story I was beta reading a while ago, and I would stilll be working on it had the author not disappeared off the face of the earth. The story was about a girl who had Autism. It was quite a magnificant story as it dealt with not only the girl's life at Hogwarts, but also her father's - he was a Death Eater, one mentioned in canon, no less. Unfortunately, the story didn't get onto the archives before the author vanished, and I haven't been able to find it on other sites. However, to be honest, I haven't look too thoroughly as I actually forgot about the story for a time. I will renew my search and try to contact the author again, as the story really was quite amazing, even though the author didn't get very far into it before she disappeared. I think the story would greatly benefit this type of discussion...

Anyway... I have to agree with Inverarity here. Wizards and witches would be much better equipped to deal with conditions such as paraplegia and the loss of sight, etc. It is also highly plausable that if the blindness or deafness was not genetic or something the person was born with for whatever reason - what I mean is that the disability was caused from an accident, etc. - that it would be curable. However, if it's caused magically - like George's loss of his ear - it probably would be permanent. The same thing could go for paraplegia.

Hmm, very interesting question, Molly.

[OliveOil_Med]

For either blind or paralyzed wizards, the magical world can certainly offer companion animals as helpers that are far more intelligent than seeing eye dogs. (It seems to me this would also be excellent employment for a free elf.)

Wow, seeing-eye elves? I never would have thought of this, but it is a wonderful idea. I have a blind student making an appearence in one of my stories, and I love the idea of her having one. I wonder how well known the concept would be? If Hermione didn't know about it, she might try to free the elf, in effect, stealing from a blind kid! LOL! I'm sooo using this consept.

This is a fun topic! I wonder how devices to help paralyzed students would work? I'll have to do some brainstorming.

[LucillaJoanna]

Great topic, yes, Molly.

I've always wondered about this... but in my mind, I wouldn't be deaf in the Wizarding world. I like the thought of magical ears, Inverarity! Or charms that easily spell out conversations/spoken words across the lenses of a pair of glasses.

Also, a blind wizard could easily make a book read aloud... A wheelchair can be equipped with magic that turns steps into inclines as the chair approaches... the possibilities are endless!

Striped Candycane once posted in the Character Clinic about Arianna possibly being autistic or mentally damaged. This topic made me think that perhaps the damage probably stemmed in the first place from her being cooped up. It would be improved with therapy-- which would include regular sessions in which Arianna can purge her repressed magic. In time, I'm sure persons with the same problem as Arianna can be given wands... or especially-crafted wands that would only perform certain rudimentary spells necessary in daily comfort and life.

[Merlin_Helz]

Interesting concept. What if say, a muggleborn was deaf, blind, paralysed ect, but when they got to Hogwarts, they were told they could have spells set on them to fix this problem. However, the spell takes a long time to go into effect, so as the year goes on, the person gets better and better, and say they were blind, begins to see more and more. Interesting concept.

[babekitty_92]

Striped Candycane once posted in the Character Clinic about Arianna possibly being autistic or mentally damaged. This topic made me think that perhaps the damage probably stemmed in the first place from her being cooped up. It would be improved with therapy-- which would include regular sessions in which Arianna can purge her repressed magic. In time, I'm sure persons with the same problem as Arianna can be given wands... or especially-crafted wands that would only perform certain rudimentary spells necessary in daily comfort and life.

Well my brother is severly Autistic and so I don't nessarily picture Ariana to have Autism. Remember that Dumbledore said that it stemmed from what the Muggle boys did to her, which would mean that she wouldn't have Autisim unless she had it from birth (but I'm sure Dumbledore mentions she was mentally healthy beforehand).

I think you would still find there would Wizards with Down Syndrome, Klienfelter's Syndrome and other chromosonal syndromes because they are all (obviously) caused in the DNA.

I'd always thought though (this is going into physical problems) that the Sketle Gro potion was only newly-developed within around ten years of Harry starting school because I'd imagine it's not an easy thing to develop something to grow a bone. You could create something to copy the actions of another (such as Wormtail's silver hand), but I'd imagine to completely heal or re-grow something, it would be much complicated.

I think maybe there would be (like most have suggested so far) potions or spells to help lessen the effects or help everyday life for the Wizard or Witch in question, but I think mental illnesses and physical problems like blindness, paraplegia, etc. would not be entirely cured.

And I must congratulate you Molly on starting this discussion.

Abbi

[OliveOil_Med]

I have a student coming up in one of my stories who is going to be blind (a condition she's held from birth, which magic cannot cure.) I am already debating the use of a seeing-eye dog or a seeing-eye efl, possibly both, but I want to expand more. What challanges might she face as a student in a wizarding school? How would she be accomidated?

Just anything you all think might be helpful.

[Inverarity]

I have a student coming up in one of my stories who is going to be blind (a condition she's held from birth, which magic cannot cure.) I am already debating the use of a seeing-eye dog or a seeing-eye efl, possibly both, but I want to expand more. What challanges might she face as a student in a wizarding school? How would she be accomidated?

We know Hogwarts is constantly rearranging itself, causing even sighted students to get lost. Blind people usually learn to navigate by memorizing routes and landmarks. At Hogwarts, that's going to be very difficult.

Potions will obviously be a challenge, though if she has an elf to describe colors, when things are boiling, etc., she might be able to manage.

She wouldn't be able to do much in Astronomy either.

Depending on how critical you believe the exact angle and positioning of a wand may be in casting a spell correctly, she might have trouble learning wand-work. She may require another student to hold her hand and guide her, to get the motions correctly.

If she's inclined to compete/duel/fight with other wizards, I think she'd get very good at Nox, Obscuro, and any other spell that can blind others. (We never see any "Darkness Charms" in the books, but maybe she can conjure a dense fog.) Putting out the lights for others would give her an obvious advantage.

I think Peeves would torment her mercilessly until he gets bored, or they figure out some way to keep him away from her.

[Tim the Enchanter]

Couldn't she have her eyes replaced with magic ones, like Moody? I know it sounds really drastic to have an eye-swapping operation to cure blindness, but I think it could be done.

But assuming she doesn't want to do that, there's always a seeing-eye... elf? I'd go with an elf who's master is the blind character, if only because House Elves can do many more things than guide dogs, plus they can help the character with things that require more dexterity than just walking.

Though there would be a multitude of problems for such a blind student, the only one I could think of off the top of my head is how to do assignments. For instance, how does she know if her potion is correct if she can't see the colour, or how would she write reports? Dictate them?

Tim the Enchanter