Battling for services for adults who need to be cared for

Maura Joyce shivers when she thinks of the living conditions of her son, Brian, for his life is spent in a small bungalow of …

Maura Joyce shivers when she thinks of the living conditions of her son, Brian, for his life is spent in a small bungalow of perhaps 1,200 sq ft with three other adults, all with various forms of intellectual disability.

Now 20, Brian was reared to be as independent as possible. It was only when he reached adolescence that his parents found it hard to cope and were able to get professional help from the Brothers of Charity. In 1998, they had to go to the High Court to ensure that Brian continued to receive an education.

The Brothers of Charity acknowledge that Brian's living conditions are far from ideal and are concerned about the level of service for the 22 adults in residential care, 12 of whom have autism. The charity sought to compensate by providing a purpose-built centre on the Ballybane complex for day-care programmes at a cost of more than €70,000.

No State finance has been allocated to furnish, equip or staff it. While the previous Government's Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill recognises the legal right of children with special needs, this basic entitlement is not being met in the case of Brian Joyce and many others.

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Meanwhile, the new coalition Government is committed to a multimillion-euro national sports stadium.

The Department of Education says it has a role as part of a "multidisciplinary approach, in that it funds numeracy and literacy services for the 19- to 25-year age group.

It has committed to this in Ballybane and is "in negotiation" with the Brothers of Charity. However, the charity says it has not been able to clarify key issues which would allow it to advertise for staff.

Maura Joyce rings the Department regularly and doesn't get replies. She believes that valuable time has been lost. She dreads the negative effect that such delays will have on her son's condition and the reality that increased medication may be his only lot.