Overheard
Eight-year-old Hazel listens in as her teachers discuss her. Their words are devastating. Decades later she realises she's spent a lifetime testing herself against what they said.
Hazel Ellis-Saxon was brought up in a busy household with four siblings in the village of Tiptree in Essex in the 1960s. She struggled with her school work and was often finishing assignments when the other children were enjoying playtime. One day in a quiet classroom Hazel overheard her form teacher describe her to a colleague as 鈥榤entally retarded鈥�. These two words had a profound effect 鈥� leading her to believe that she must be a huge disappointment to her parents and would never enjoy a full life.
Dr Sian Williams hears how this label shaped Hazel鈥檚 decisions for decades and what it took for her to throw it off.
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- Wed 3 May 2023 09:0091热爆 Radio 4
- Sun 3 Sep 2023 23:0091热爆 Radio 4
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Life Changing
Extraordinary stories of life's turning points.
