Joey Deacon: Difference between revisions
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==Biography== |
==Biography== |
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Joey had [[cerebral palsy]], and as a result was unable to use his arms or legs nor speak coherently. He was institutionalised as a child and worked making shoes in sheltered accommodation. Because he was unable to communicate intelligable speech, he was assumed to be mentally subnormal. However, with the help of his friends Ernie Roberts, Tom Blackburn, and Michael Sangster he was able to write a book, "Tongue Tied", published by [[Mencap]] as a part of their ''Subnormality in the Seventies'' series. The book gave an unique insight into the often-disregarded lives of handicapped people of the time (as the title of the series shows), and with the money from the book Joey and his friends bought a home for themselves. |
Joey had [[cerebral palsy]], and as a result was unable to use his arms or legs nor speak coherently. He was institutionalised as a child and worked making shoes in sheltered accommodation. Because he was unable to communicate intelligable speech, he was assumed to be mentally subnormal. However, with the help of his friends Ernie Roberts, Tom Blackburn, and Michael Sangster he was able to write a book, "Tongue Tied", published by [[Mencap]] as a part of their ''Subnormality in the Seventies'' series. The book gave an unique insight into the often-disregarded lives of handicapped people of the time (as the title of the series shows), and with the money from the book Joey and his friends bought a home for themselves. |
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Deacon was born with severe cerebral palsy of the entire body. His mother died when he was six and he went to live with his grandmother. When he was eight, after a number of operations, he was admitted to Queen Mary's Hospital, Carsharlton, then transferred six months later to St. Lawrence's Hospital, where he remained for the rest of his life. During the first few years he gradually lost contact with his family. |
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He is remarkable because in 1970 he, with three friends, began to write his autobiography. One of his helpers, Ernie Roberts, had been in hospital since the age of 10, also with severe cerebral palsy, and was the only person able to understand Deacon, because of his severe speech impairment. The third member of the team, Michael Sangster, had been in hospital since he was 16. |
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Roberts listened to Deacon's dictation and repeated it to Sangster, who wrote it down in longhand. After proof-reading by hospital staff it was typed by the fourth member of the team, Tom Blackburn (who had been adopted by his aunt and admitted to hospital when he was 18). Blackburn could neither read nor write, but he taught himself to type in order to help. |
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The resulting 44-page book took the four of them 14 months to write and is a major achievement by four severely handicapped men, two of whom had been in hospital since they were children, while a third was an adoptee. |
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The four men formed an inseparable family in the hospital for decades, and their relationship was the subject of two British television documentaries. Royalties and donations raised enough money for the four to move to a bungalow in the hospital grounds in 1979, where they were able to live more independently. After Deacon died, Blackburn and Roberts moved to an ordinary house on an ordinary street, where they lived with support from carers. |
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None of these men should ever have been admitted to hospital in the first place. The fact that they were illustrates the old "dumping ground" philosophy of long-stay hospitals for people with mental handicaps. The fact that their voices were finally heard is a testimony to some enlightened staff and changing attitudes, but most of all to their own indomitable spirit and tenacity. |
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==Blue Peter and Cultural Impact== |
==Blue Peter and Cultural Impact== |
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Revision as of 03:08, 11 October 2005
Joseph "Joey" John Deacon (24 May 1920- 3 December 1981) was a British author and television personality.
Biography
Joey had cerebral palsy, and as a result was unable to use his arms or legs nor speak coherently. He was institutionalised as a child and worked making shoes in sheltered accommodation. Because he was unable to communicate intelligable speech, he was assumed to be mentally subnormal. However, with the help of his friends Ernie Roberts, Tom Blackburn, and Michael Sangster he was able to write a book, "Tongue Tied", published by Mencap as a part of their Subnormality in the Seventies series. The book gave an unique insight into the often-disregarded lives of handicapped people of the time (as the title of the series shows), and with the money from the book Joey and his friends bought a home for themselves.
Deacon was born with severe cerebral palsy of the entire body. His mother died when he was six and he went to live with his grandmother. When he was eight, after a number of operations, he was admitted to Queen Mary's Hospital, Carsharlton, then transferred six months later to St. Lawrence's Hospital, where he remained for the rest of his life. During the first few years he gradually lost contact with his family.
He is remarkable because in 1970 he, with three friends, began to write his autobiography. One of his helpers, Ernie Roberts, had been in hospital since the age of 10, also with severe cerebral palsy, and was the only person able to understand Deacon, because of his severe speech impairment. The third member of the team, Michael Sangster, had been in hospital since he was 16.
Roberts listened to Deacon's dictation and repeated it to Sangster, who wrote it down in longhand. After proof-reading by hospital staff it was typed by the fourth member of the team, Tom Blackburn (who had been adopted by his aunt and admitted to hospital when he was 18). Blackburn could neither read nor write, but he taught himself to type in order to help.
The resulting 44-page book took the four of them 14 months to write and is a major achievement by four severely handicapped men, two of whom had been in hospital since they were children, while a third was an adoptee.
The four men formed an inseparable family in the hospital for decades, and their relationship was the subject of two British television documentaries. Royalties and donations raised enough money for the four to move to a bungalow in the hospital grounds in 1979, where they were able to live more independently. After Deacon died, Blackburn and Roberts moved to an ordinary house on an ordinary street, where they lived with support from carers.
None of these men should ever have been admitted to hospital in the first place. The fact that they were illustrates the old "dumping ground" philosophy of long-stay hospitals for people with mental handicaps. The fact that their voices were finally heard is a testimony to some enlightened staff and changing attitudes, but most of all to their own indomitable spirit and tenacity.
Blue Peter and Cultural Impact
Joey was brought to the nation's attention in 1981, when he was featured on the children's magazine show Blue Peter.
Joey was presented by the programme as an example of a brave man who achieved much in spite of his disabilities, but this highlighted a gross misunderstanding of the nature of children by the programme's Editor, as Joey's name quickly became a label of ridicule in school playgrounds across the country. Even today, if a person trips over or happens to otherwise compromise themselves, they may still be mocked as a "Joey".
Joey's surname has also come into common usage, inspiring the playground rhyme "Acon, Beacon, Ceacon, Deacon!" where the speaker alternately points his finger at himself and a fellow pupil in order to imply that the other person has some (vaguely-defined) handicap in common with Joey Deacon. Variants of this rhyme/game exist.
The second series of cult UK comedy series Spaced also contains a quick "Joey" reference.
External Links
Several websites are dedicated to the memory of Joey Deacon, often in questionable taste, however some which mock his Blue Peter appearance and delight in the cultural impact often show respect or compassion for Deacon himself.
Spleen - has information about the history and cultural impact of Joey's Blue Peter appearance
Section from Law Of The Playground on Joey it also cites variations on the playground rhyme