DD1 has I guess a low to medium degree of physical disability (mild hemiplegia plus not perceiving/understanding her surroundings) and a high degree of learning disability (functioning at around 8 months on average). So she's entirely mobile in familiar surroundings though she potters around slowly and falls over a lot so needs 1:1. But she can go a reasonable distance if you look after her.
If we're going out for a walk or to the shops or hospital or whatever she has a SN buggy. School know this as it happens to be the same model as a classmate who is much less mobile and DD1 tends to get confused and try to get in it!
Anyhoo, she's now heavy enough that school are not allowed to lift her and their manual handling expert has been pushing to get DD1 onto a bus rather than her taxi. Bad news for a number of reasons but the Head in a separate conversation advised me against getting the buggy we bought in the end because "it was not crash tested as a wheelchair". The vibe I am getting is that it would be most convenient for school if DD1 was to be a wheelchair rider at least part time. They could just wheel her off the bus and into school, whereas at the moment she needs a lot of support to get in and out of the taxi without lifting. It's perfectly doable, it just takes an extra five minutes.
Yesterday I got a message back in the home/school book that they wanted me to send DD1's buggy in so they could take her to the children's centre (next door). Now, so far, I had thought they walked to the children's centre. So presumably because DD1 is taking longer than the other kids, it would be easier for them to wheel her there.
Now, if DD1 needed to be in a wheelchair, I would be fine with that. But she doesn't. And once she was in a wheelchair there is no way she'd ever understand how to power herself, so her independence would be gone. Plus of course she gets little exercise and has low muscle tone and imo every single step she walks is good for her. So I'd strongly resist this move, particularly as once the buggy is in school I have no control over how often it is used and what for. As she gets older and weight bearing becomes more difficult, I know it will be a fight to keep her fit and on her feet but I want to resist for as long as I can by using splints etc. DD1 is quite passive if she's stuck in one place and I'm sure that once she is in a chair she will withdraw from engaging with her environment and I fear regress further. Plus of course once those muscles are unused we go down the route of downstairs bedrooms and bathrooms and ramps and all that stuff. So far she's getting herself up and down stairs several times a day - it's a lot of work and encouragement from us as she finds them intellectually challenging (!) but I'm happy to make that effort because I think it's worth while. I don't know if I can keep her active enough at home to make up for sitting down all day at school.
So - I feel that in DD1's case this is the thin end of a really big and unnecessary wedge. All the school can see is that it would be more convenient for them to put her in a wheelchair now and again.
AIBU? I'm really just running on a hunch her that this is a Bad Thing (partly informed by DH's Grandfather's experience as a lifelong wheelchair user) - anyone any experience/advice?
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AIBU re: school and mobility? Bit long, sorry.
10 replies
r3dh3d · 12/02/2009 09:13
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12/02/2009 11:39
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12/02/2009 11:43
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