Additional resources are to be allocated to schools to support children with "mild" Down Syndrome who do not currently receive support through the National Council for Special Education’s (NCSE) annual allocation process.
Minister for Education and Skills, Jan O’Sullivan announced the extra teaching hours yesterday and while parents reacted with relief, critics have already said the move does not go far enough in alleviating the pressure on the families of children with intellectual disabilities.
A joint statement from Mary Doherty, Chairperson Down Syndrome Ireland and Pat Clarke, CEO Down Syndrome Ireland welcomed the announcement "as an interim measure" and said it "brings to an end a 10-year battle that families have endured and fought so desperately to highlight and change."
“However, today’s announcement does not go far enough." the statement continued.
"A recognition of Down syndrome as a disability in its entirety, by the Department of Education would have spared our children and their families the continued trauma and expense of assessments, a system based more on bureaucracy rather than reality and logic.”
