Increasingly, they’re made to feel unwelcome

From the [UK] Guardian:

Parents of children with Down syndrome in the UK say they feel their neighborhood schools are the best place for their kids, but mainstream schools are increasingly challenging the right of children with DS to attend school alongside their peers.

IPSEA, a UK charity that gives legal advice to parents of children with disabilities, says schools are increasingly declining to provide parents with the paperwork needed to get speech therapy and other supports. As a result, parents are more frequently forced to challenge local authorities or back down and go to a segregated special school.

Executives at UK charities representing people with Down syndrome say an increasing minority of schools are now showing a reluctance to take on pupils with the condition.

“Schools are digging their heels in,” said Bob Black, education information officer of the Down’s Syndrome Association. “We are getting the sense that schools, already overburdened with work, are feeling they have enough on their plates and don’t want to make adjustments for this group of children as well.”

(Photo of Jamie Woodbridge and his mother, Charlotte. She says she feels like “a warrior parent.” Photo from [UK] Guardian)

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 21st, 2009 at 11:23 am and is filed under Down syndrome, NOT2BEMISSED, inclusion, special education. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.