Edwin Davidson
Officer of the NZ Order of Merit
KEY POINTS:
Pupils unable to sit at their desks are the ones who have inspired Edwin Davidson's 25 years of striving to improve special education.
The Hobsonville resident has been made an officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit but says his work has been "behind the scenes" while teachers in a highly specialised field struggle for official recognition.
Mr Davidson had already served 30 years as a teacher in mainstream and special education when in 1984 he moved to Mangere to become principal of Sir Keith Park School for children with intellectual disabilities.
He believes the school may be the country's only decile 1 special school.
It serves an area where parents are in the bottom 10 per cent of earners. Out of a roll of 107, about 30 are extremely disabled "and they are the ones I love and have put my time into", Mr Davidson said.
Many times he has fought the Government to secure funding for facilities and education on behalf of Mangere's Pacific Island families.
In the classroom, Mr Davidson was concerned at the high number of pupils who were just lying on the floor, unable to sit up at a desk.
A chance to improve their lot came in 1989 when Kathleen, his wife and deputy at Sir Keith Park School, won a Winston Churchill fellowship to look at curriculum development overseas.
In the United States, the couple were impressed by the Mobility Opportunities Via Education programme, which aimed to get disabled children to sit, stand and walk.
The Davidsons also saw health benefits for their students and brought the programme to New Zealand, where it is now also used at Blomfield Special School in Whangarei.
Having retired from Sir Keith Park School at Christmas, Edwin Davidson will head the programme's spread through the South Pacific.
