Parents of autistic children have warned the Government they will lobby to have the Special Olympics staged elsewhere if the Minister for Education, Dr Woods, does not withdraw his controversial education disability Bill.
At a press conference yesterday they said it was hypocritical for the Government to be hosting such an event, when it was promoting a Bill that threatened to make life worse for those with special needs. Some of them also called for the Minister's resignation.
In another development, members of the Minister's own taskforce on autism, which reported earlier this year, harshly criticised the Bill and said they wanted to dissociate themselves from it. The two members said they were "saddened" by its contents.
The Taoiseach yesterday responded to the pressure from the various groups and said amendments to the Bill were possible. He said Dr Woods would consult the organisations over Easter. However, many of the groups want the Bill scrapped and claim amendments are not enough.
The disability representatives have strongly criticised the Minister for not meeting them.
Their criticisms were repeated at the press conference by the two opposition spokespeople on education, Fine Gael's Mr Michael Creed and Labour's Ms Roisin Shorthall.
Mr Cormac Rennick, chairman of the Irish Autistic Alliance, said if the Bill was not withdrawn his group would be writing to Ms Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the founder of the Special Olympics, and asking her to take the event elsewhere because the Government was promoting legislation that was highly detrimental to those with special needs.
He said parents in the autistic area would also conduct a campaign of civil disobedience if the Bill was pushed through the Oireachtas.
Mr Pat Walsh and Ms Mary Naughton, members of the Taskforce on Autism, said the Bill did not accurately reflect the views expressed by the report they had prepared.
The remainder of the statement continued: "We are deeply disappointed by the lack of consultation with the relevant interested parties in the drafting of this Bill. We totally reject the Bill on the basis that it is not rights-based; it does nothing to change the status quo in terms of the power and control which the Department of Education and Science exerts over people with disabilities and their families; the educational needs of children under three and adults over 18 will be woefully neglected under the provisions of this Bill".
The ASTI issued a statement saying it was "outraged" by the lack of consultation. The union said it had not been provided with a copy even though the Bill placed major responsibilities on teachers and schools.
The ASTI's president, Ms Catherine Fitzpatrick, said the Bill's definition of a child as someone over the age of three years was unacceptable.
She said it was essential the children with special needs were given access to assessment and support services at the earliest opportunity in their lives.