Supreme Court decision addresses workplace disability dilemma

It is the ultimate personal nightmare. A qualified medical nurse, you are productively employed as a special needs assistant - or SNA - in the service of children with a wide range of disabilities, both physical and mental. Then, one day, you are struck down and left in a state of paralysis.

In July 2010, Marie Daly, a Kerry based SNA, found herself in this position following an accident while on holiday. She subsequently spent five months at the National Rehabilitation Centre and has remained wheelchair bound.