The parents of Lewis O'Carolan, a 14-year-old autistic boy with severe behavioural problems, will today send their son to an autism-specific unit in Wales which, they say, will help him reach his full potential.
He is due to take up a placement at the Bangor Centre for Developmental Disability after money was raised through an "appropriate education fund" for the boy in recent months.
The couple rejected State plans to care for and educate Lewis at a unit in north Dublin, which the High Court ruled earlier this year was "objectively adequate".
The HSE said the unit at Woodlawn in Dublin, operated by St Joseph's Intellectual Disability Service, would meet his needs and include input from multidisciplinary support teams.
However, his parents said the plans are based on a psychiatric model and would "destroy" their son's potential.
St Joseph's was criticised in a recent report by the inspector of mental health services for its use of strait-jackets and protocols over the use of psychotropic medication.
"We feel very let down by the State," said Annette O'Carolan. "In another sense, we feel relieved that he's escaping a psychiatric system. He was sinking into a black hole here, but they [experts in Wales] have the tools to rescue him. We'll sleep at night knowing he's with people who can help him develop his full potential."
Following a fundraising campaign, which has raised in excess of €55,000 in public contributions, Lewis will spend three months being assessed at the Bangor centre. The family hopes to raise further money through a fund-raising website (www.mynameislewis.net) to pay for ongoing education for their son.
"For us, this is as important as a life-saving operation. He's wasted 11 years, and he's due to turn 15 on Wednesday. We'll be going back and forth on the ferry for the next few weeks. In the long-term, we'll sell our home or live in a B&B. Whatever we have to do".
Dr Richard Cubie, head of operations at the Bangor centre, said Lewis had the potential to make significant improvements. A key priority is to restore his ability to communicate, which he lost as he developed autism as a child.
"Lewis could be capable of living in a semi or fully supported environment, within the general community, not in an isolated setting," Dr Cubie said. "It's not beyond the bounds of possibility that he could find a vocational outlet for him in a sheltered workshop, for instance."
Lewis O'Carolan's father, Colm, said he was angry at how recent legislative developments, such as the Disability Bill, were further "eroding" the rights of disabled people and their families.
"People's legal rights are being taken away, such as access to the courts. The very people who need strong legislation are the vulnerable, yet they're the ones being stripped of their rights. It's easy to take them away because there's no one to lobby on their behalf," he said.
