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THE DALLAS POST/Wednesday, August 20, 1986 15
Certificates available
Rep. George C. Hasay recently
reminded Luzerne and Columbia
County residents about the proper
procedure for obtaining copies of
birth certificates.
Hasay said a birth certificate with
the state seal is needed to obrain a
passport, social security, and other
documetns and legal papers.
ook penne
Dallas woman writes book on retarded
in Jackson Township, then taught
fifth grade in Forty Fort. Her
first class in special education
obtain an application by writing to
Hasay’s office at 2261 Sans Souci
Parkway in Hanover Township. The
telephone numbers are 542-7345 and
735-2794.
There is a $4 fee for the certifi-
cate. However, veterans and their
dependents may receive their copies
free.
By CHARLOT M. DENMON
Statf Correspondent
Klma Major of Overbrook
Road, Dallas, is a pioneer in the
education of the mentally
retarded. Ms. Major, who has
her Master of Science Degree in
special education is a teacher,
administrator and psychologist.
After teaching for more than 43
years, 30 of them in the educa-
tion of the mentally retarded,
Ms. Major has written a book
titled “Tips to the Parents of the
Mentally Retarded’, which was
published in May of this year.
The Rev. Ralph Bennett,
former pastor of Huntsville
Christian Church, aware of her
many years experience with
mentally retarded children,
urged Elma Major to write a
book about her experiences.
After giving it much thought, Ms.
Major decided it would be best to
write a book with tips to the
parents of the mentally retarded,
helping them to deal with their
children’s handicaps.
“I didn’t want to make it too
scientific or boring so I wrote it
everyday language and at the
end of each chapter, I listed five
or six of the most important
items in that chapter. Actually,
the book can be of help to the
parents of any handicapped
child, not just the retarded,” said
Ms. Major.
“Most important is that par-
ents learn to accept the child and
understand his limitations, know
his potential and not push him. I
found many parents to be over-
anxious about wanting their chil-
dren to be normal rather than
learning to appreciate their cap-
abilities.”
Ms. Major's work with the
mentally retarded came to the
attention of the top educators in
Pennsylvania and in 1971, Penn-
sylvania became the first state to
pass a law to educate the men-
tally retarded and all handi-
capped. Soon after, special edu-
cation became a Federal law.
Ms. Major first became inter-
ested in special education when
she had a student in the fifth
grade, older than the others, who
could not read nor write. This
was her first involvement with
the retarded. She started her
teaching career in a rural school
Dallas Post/Charlot M. Denmon
Book displayed
Elma Major of Dallas is shown here with a copy of her new
book, entitled “Tips to Parents of the Mentally Retarded."
was in Forty Fort where she
taught educable children.
Later she taught in the Labora-
tory School in Bloomsburg, then
in Allentown. While in Allentown,
she received the Golden Deeds
Award from the National
Exchange Club for her outstand-
ing service to the community.
When Ms. Major came to the
Wilkes-Barre School District, she
was appointed supervisor of the
mentally retarded, a position she
held for more than 11 years. It
was in Wilkes-Barre that she had
the first trainable class under the
State of Pennsylvania funding.
Following her retirement, Ms.
Major served as a part-time con-
sultant for the mentally retarded
Unit.
While in the Wilkes-Barre Dis-
trict, Ms. Major worked with the
below educable and did a pilot
program on the severely
retarded. This was the program
that led the way for the state law
to educate the retarded at all
levels-the educable, trainable
and severely retarded.
She is past president of the
Luzerne Association for
Retarded, and the Lehigh Valley
Association for the Retarded. She
also set up a Sunday School Class
for the severely retarded at
Huntsville Christian Church
which is taught by a group of
ing the class.
The severely retarded are edu-
cated to become socially. accept-
able to a degree, to learn basic
skills such as feed themselves,
brush their teeth, and take care
of their personal needs.
The 95-page hard cover book
bound in an attractively done
cover is written in simple terms
for better understanding and is
applicable to all handicapped
individuals. Published by the
Carlton Press, 11 W. 32nd St.,
New York, N.Y., 10001, it retails
for $7.75, and if it is not on the
shelves of area book stores it can
be ordered from the publishing
company at the address above.
There are also several copies
of the book in the Back Mountain
Memorial Library for those par-
ents who are interested.
Bureau organized
If your organization is
positive, upbeat, informational
p.m. Monday through Friday.
He said that it’s a good idea for
all individuals to obtain a birth
certificate.
Citizens desiring a certificate may
Chief cooks
Hasay said he would be glad to
assist individuals who experience
difficulty in obtaining certificates.
Dallas Post/Charlot M. Denmon
Dallas Post/Charlot M. Denmon
Seeking refuge
Ballas Post/ arlot M.
La