I thank you most sincerely, a Cheann Comhairle, for affording me the opportunity to highlight this problem. I will, of course, be in a position to supply the Minister with the name of the child in question, but I would rather not mention any names in the House.
This problem was brought to my attention when the mother of the child involved visited me. This woman's daughter, who is seven years old and has spina bifida, attends the Dalkey school project national school in Glenageary. I have to say at the outset that this is an excellent school which provides excellent educational facilities both from the point of view of the teaching staff and the board of management.
This child is in second class and the problem is that the second year classroom is located on the second floor. This child uses crutches to move around and her parents have been told by the school authorities that they cannot accept responsibility for the child when she is moving around the building. This means the child has to stay in the classroom during normal break time. During a fire drill a caretaker-gardener had to take the child from the classroom because no teacher was available to help the child down the stairs and out of the building. God only knows what would have happened if there had been a real fire in the building.
The mother of this child has to attend the school approximately six times a day to bring her child down the stairs during normal breaks. If the mother is unable to attend the child has to sit in the classroom and cannot attend such things as art exhibitions, dancing and other normal activities which go on in the school. Obviously this child feels isolated from the other children. Last week when her mother was ill the child could not attend school for two days.
If we adopt the policy, which I support, of integrating handicapped children into primary schools then we should have the facilities to see that those children not alone receive a proper education but become part and parcel of the school activities and are not made to feel unusual in the normal school context. As a society we should be ashamed that I had to come into the House this evening and outline this sort of problem. I do not know where the blame rests but there are suggestions I can make to the Minister and teachers.
At times all of us need to put certain things aside and think of the child involved. Obviously I accept that there is some sort of dispute in this case and that the teachers are concerned about the question of liability should something happen to the child. All these matters should be ironed out so that these unfortunate children do not suffer. If we pride ourselves on being a Christian society, and even if we have to pay a little extra in taxes and do without in some areas, I believe — I say this quite sincerely — those less fortunate than ourselves through illness or physical or mental handicap should be looked after properly and we should provide the necessary back-up services, particularly in the educational field.
I went through the normal channels making inquiries about this case before I raised it in the House. The official line was that as the child is attending a normal primary school rather than a special school there are no facilities provided or staff available for children to be looked after and, in fact, while at one time all special schools used to have child care assistance, there is an embargo on that now, although apparently in some cases help is recruited by the schools through the FÁS scheme. It is diabolical that young handicapped children are left without proper care and attention in our schools. Thanks to the Minister and her predecessor there is a special unit known as St. Angela's language and learning unit attached to a normal primary school in Baggot Street. I have seen the benefits one child attending this unit has gained from being part and parcel of a normal school and mixing with — I do not like to use this word — normal children. The struggle we had to persuade the officials in the Department of Education to set up this unit was unbelievable. Had it not been for the continuous fighting on the part of the parents the child I am talking about would still be in a home for the mentally handicapped. This child, who is not mentally handicapped, suffers from what is called a language disorder. This is a recognised illness throughout the United States and Britain where fantastic facilities are provided for such children. When I was in Government and that child visited my office she ran to the other side of the room and hid behind a chair because she was so frustrated at having been in a school for the mentally handicapped.
That child is now playing football with Broadford Rovers in Dundrum, bowls on Saturday mornings at the Stillorgan Bowl and is leading a normal life again. The locking up of that child in a mental institution would be a scandal and should not be tolerated in any civilised society. Not only does the mother, who has two other young children, one attending the same school and the other in secondary school, have to put up with the burden of having a physically handicapped child but also has to attend the school daily. Yesterday she had to attend the school from 10.45 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. If the child wishes to go downstairs she has to physically bring her down. If the child wishes to take part in any activity then she has to be there to help because, for some reason or other, which I hope the Minister will explain to me tonight, the teaching staff are not in a position to look after the child. As I said, this is a scandal which should not be tolerated in any civilised society.
I hope as a result of having raised this matter in the House we can ensure that handicapped children who wish to be integrated in primary or post-primary schools are allowed to do so without feeling that they are the odd person out, that teachers will have the necessary training and skills to teach them and if back-up services are needed that they will be provided.
