Pictured: Caolinn Cassidy and her son Cillian
Nine families from Donegal will join an overnight protest at the gates of Dáil Éireann in their fight for special school places for their children.
The children, who all have complex needs, have been unable to get places at Little Angels in Letterkenny due to a lack of capacity.
Despite the school moving to a new, state-of-the-art facility in September, Little Angels remains at capacity, with demand growing.
This has left nine families in a desperate situation, with eight of them coming together to set up the “Don’t Forget Our Little Angels” campaign.
Next Wednesday, they will camp outside the Dáil for World Autism Day with other parents from around the country protesting the lack of suitable special educational needs school places.
One of the local mothers travelling to Dublin is Caolinn Cassidy from Gaoth Dobhair, whose son, Cillian, has advancing educational needs.
Cillian, aged 10, currently attends an autism unit within a mainstream school in Bunbeg. Assessments by Cillian’s therapist and psychologist have advised that he should move “urgently”.
“As kids grow, their needs grow too,” Caolinn said.
She applied for a place for her son at Little Angels in January but was told there were no places for Cillian now nor for the upcoming September term.
Caoilinn said it’s vital for her son’s development that he is in a more appropriate setting.
“It’s crucial that he gets the place now,” Caolinn said. “Little Angels is the only place they can stay until they turn 18. We need to give him the best chance of developing any bit of independence.”
The families’ journey to Dublin is one of frustration. Caolinn said that ‘not in a month of Sundays’ would she have imagined having to sleep outside for a school place for her child.
“We keep getting false promises but we have absolutely nothing set in stone so we have to keep pushing,” she said.
