Friday photos—special edition: HB, Barbara Bateman!

The 15 of June was the birthday of the late Barbara Dee Bateman. Barb was born on that day in 1933. In my experience, she didn’t talk much about her b’day. I don’t think she was big on personal recognition—she didn’t want to promote herself as a “grand pooh-bah of special education.”

Barb, however, as many special educators know, had extraordinary influences on special education from the 1960s through the 2000-teens. She was at least a midwife (maybe the mother?) for the birth of the learning disabilities movement in the early 1960s. She recognized the importance of effectiveness research in the 1970s. And she employed legal resources to help ensure kids’ and families’ access to free and appropriate education thereafter.

I am one of only many people who miss Barb. When you hear someone talking about Barb, listen up, ‘cause they are likely to tell you something worth remembering.

Barb revered this photo of her fishing exploits. I think it is from Alasaka, and I apologize that I cannot identify the person with whom she’s holding the fish.

Thanks to Barb’s sister, Jan, (her last surviving immediate family member), I have this photo of Barb as a young girl. Barb is holding Jan on the porch of their Oregon home. I find it delightful.

Barb Bateman holding her little sister at their home in Oregon,

Please understand two points about this photo: (1) I use it with permission from Jan Bateman and (b) Jan implored me to explain that Jan was not the reason that Barb went into special education.

But there are other points, too. Look at the joy in Barb’s face. Think about the experience of the photographer (probably one of Barb’s, Denny’s, and Jan’s parents?) taking and then later looking at that photo.

These are among the things that make we special educators caring, humans. I propose that we celebrate them.