The Acorn People

“Children spilled from cars and buses. It was an eerie sight. Parents carefully picked children from their perches and placed them in wheelchairs. There was an open-mouthed silence. The woods and paths of Camp Wiggin were accustomed to troops of running feet and the noise of children at play. With these wheelchair children there was only silence. It was as if the woods themselves were watching the unfolding of chairs and the lifting of bodies. All life seemed to stop.”

The book begins with a tense, conflicted tone, as narrator Ron Jones is dismayed to find that the children in his care have more limiting disabilities than he had anticipated. His belief that children with disabilities cannot act like children without them influences how he views everyone, perceiving both parents and campers as lacking in liveliness. This is a mixture of his attitude and a reflection of societal reality. During this time, when accommodation was severely lacking, many with disabilities would be routinely disappointed at being forced into a situation not suited for them, and this would affect their demeanors. However, this scene also reflects Ron’s perspective on the campers, as he views children who can’t participate in typical camp activities (at least in the same way) as less enjoyable to be around.

“Children who seem drained of expression. Pulled into convulsions by unseen strings. Pallid in color and spirit. Beings without visible life.”

Building on the previous quote, Ron initially espouses descriptions that dehumanize the campers as less “alive” because of how their bodies look. This is a common aspect of ableism: viewing people with physical or cognitive disabilities as incomplete or broken.