Parents fight for mentally disabled children's education

Parents of mentally handicapped children in Ireland were today launching a bid to give them the legal right to education and official recognition.

The National Parents and Siblings Alliance will lobby members of the Dail to condemn the fact that mentally handicapped youngsters are not afforded many basic human rights.

Mentally disabled children are not given the right to a free medical assessment and the government fights attempts to provide them with free education saying it is pointless, said Alliance spokesman Fergus Finlay.

Under the campaign 5,000 postcards will be sent to TDs, calling for a change in the law.

‘‘We want to highlight the unfair circumstances that exist and continue to exist and we wish to bring them on to the political agenda,’’ Mr Finlay said.

‘‘We have been promised action, there have been a number of High Court and Supreme Court judgments in our favour, but still nothing is done.

‘‘All issues to do with mental handicap and medical care are built on a charity basis. There is no state recognition. People with mental handicaps have no legal rights.’’

Mr Finlay added that parents have often had to take to court their fight to provide their children with a state education.

‘‘In such cases the government argument has always been that they are uneducable,’’ Mr Finlay said.

He added: ‘‘Throughout the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and many other nations this is not the case and we feel Ireland needs to be brought up to date,’’ he said.