Comments on: Tuesday PSA: The Invisible Handicap!

By: Xezlec

Xezlec — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:24:44 +0000

Jon:

Night Gallery? Wow. I kind of like that you went there instead of Twilight Zone.

By: Sean Duggan

Sean Duggan — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:02:32 +0000

You know, it strikes me that it’s less likely that Tod’s actually suffering from “brain damage” and more likely that he simply has a learning disability. Again, not something the students are likely to understand and frankly, not something the teachers are likely to understand. And, unlike brain damage, there’s a high chance of Tod “getting it” and improving because someone found another way to explain the drawing process to him.

This dovetails nicely in to the fact that learning disabilities are indeed often termed “the invisible handicap” because for a long time, it was hard to get a school to classify it as a handicap and therefore something to be treated.

By: Omega

Omega — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:13:27 +0000

“There’s no reason the teacher needs to share with them precisely what’s wrong with Tod”

I disagree with this. My sons classmates were a lot more understanding with him after the teacher explained about autism and why having it made him behave the way he did sometimes.
He still had to leave mainstream schooling and move to a specialist school when it became obvious that he just wasn’t going to be able to do his best without more experienced and directed support but it did mean he left with friends instead of being just the weirdo outsider.

By: Marionette

Marionette — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:21:34 +0000

I don’t get it. Are we supposed to believe that Tod’s invisible brain damage has got better by the last panel?

What is even actually wrong with him? The explanation is so vague that I have no idea what his actual problem is.

By: Jon

Jon — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:12:03 +0000

And the teacher has a weird-shaped head. Maybe this is a Night Gallery episode, where all the kids and the teacher are actually retarded people in a brilliant world — but ONLY TOD KNOWS IT…

By: Alberto

Alberto — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:52:48 +0000

Oops, I was so scared I didn’t notice my bad writing.

“Tod looks like he is smack his critics real hard.” – I meant “Tod looks like he could smack his critics real hard.”

By: Metz77

Metz77 — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:19:54 +0000

The last panel is so incredibly patronizing it’s painful.

By: Devon

Devon — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:09:19 +0000

You don’t have to have brain damage to get upset when someone calls your drawing ‘dopey’. You don’t even need brain damage to be a crappy artist! I say that kid gets detention for being a jerk instead of that poor explanation.

By: Keith

Keith — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:04:52 +0000

Kids sure must have changed a lot since I was in grade-school. My peers would have made Tod’s life a living hell.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:04:01 +0000

The fourth panel…..
SHE WANTS MY SOUL!