We call them subnormal: what do they call us?

Back in the 1970s I worked for a while in a school for what were then known as the "educationally subnormal". The head teacher, who believed strongly in the efficacy of beatings to instil discipline in sometimes severely disabled children, once told me: "There is no room for sentiment in a job like this. We must train the subnormal as we would animals, for that is what they are if not kept in check."

Karen can't walk quickly
Karen can't walk slowly
Karen can't walk
At least no one can laugh at the way she walks

John can't speak cleverly
John can't speak stupidly
John can't speak
At least no one will throw him in jail for speaking what he believes

David can't write neatly
David can't write untidily
David can't write
At least no one can censor his writings

Helen can't hear good music
Helen can't hear bad music
Helen can't hear
At least she will never be insulted by what is said about her

Not only can I walk, but I can run
Not only can I speak, but I can think
Not only can I write, but I can read
Not only can I hear, but I can see

Andrew can't understand easy things
Andrew can't understand difficult things
Andrew can't understand anything
But then sometimes neither can I