School stalemate over assistance dog in classroom

FOR THE past three months, 13-year-old Luke Kelly-Melia has missed out on school. He misses his friends and, as he is in 6th class, his parents worry this absence will have a serious impact when he enters secondary school next year.

The gap in his educational development is all the more pressing for Luke who has cerebral palsy.

His parents’ decision to keep him home from school since January relates to Luke’s assistant, a golden retriever called Aidan, who is a specially trained stability or assistance dog provided by Cork-based charity Irish Dogs for the Disabled.

In a letter to President Michael D Higgins outlining his predicament, Luke himself describes the impact Aidan has had on his life. He writes:

“Before I got Aidan I was falling 24/7 on my front and back and it hurt like hell. So when I got Aidan, I was training for a week in Cork and I did well. When I wobble, Aidan stops and usually the fall goes away. When I do fall, it’s never backwards, those falls are completely gone. If I do fall forwards, I now lean on Aidan’s shoulder and pull myself up.”

The use of stability dogs for a variety of disabilities is something relatively new in Ireland, particularly for young children. The theory goes that through the provision of an assistance dog, the use of a wheelchair or walking aid can be delayed for someone like Luke.

Until Christmas, Luke had been guided to school by Aidan, and once he was safely inside his classroom, Aidan returned home with Luke’s parents, Brendan and Pauline. Issues arose when they began to plan for Aidan to be present with Luke for the duration of the school day.

This arrangement was rejected by management at Luke’s school, Knocktemple National School, in Virginia, Co Cavan. “Dogs are not allowed on school property without adult supervision and are not allowed in the classroom,” the school says in a statement.

The school points out that it currently has 12 children with autism and a further six are expected to enrol in September. In light of this, and following guidance from the Department of Education, the school says it must develop a policy around assistance dogs and has committed to doing this at the earliest opportunity.

As things stand, “an assistance dog may accompany a pupil as far as the classroom door, provided that the pupil is also accompanied by a parent and that appropriate insurance has been put in place by the dog’s owners”, the school says in a statement through board of management chairman, Séamus O’Shea.

The school has also referred to the provision of special needs assistants and the track record it has in educating pupils with disabilities, stretching back to the early 1980s when a child with Down syndrome was successfully educated in a mainstream classroom.

The board of management says that Luke and his brother are more than welcome to return to the school and that “in the best interest of their education, this should be facilitated as soon as possible”.

Luke’s father says the past few weeks, since they went public with Luke’s story, have been draining for the family. There has been the inevitable media interest in the case and, following some negative comments by some in the local community, the family took the decision to remove Luke’s younger brother from the school also.

“The school knew from the beginning the dog would become a 24/7 thing for Luke and we filled the school in on every step of the way,” says Brendan. “Then we got a letter on the last day of term before Christmas saying the dog was not allowed. We were stunned.”

Brendan says the current impasse is very frustrating for the family. They had not intended to allow Aidan to remain with Luke in school until at least February, when he had sufficient training, but they noticed a huge difference in Luke’s movement and confidence since Aidan arrived on the scene.

“With Aidan around, Luke can now power-walk for half an hour in the forest. Before, he would fall several times in the space of a 15-minute walk. Now we can go for a walk and we don’t have to worry about him.

“We forget he has a disability and it gives you peace of mind. From Luke’s perspective, it has given him confidence and improved his self-esteem and, physically, it has kept him out of a wheelchair.”

In relation to the school’s concerns and its need to formulate a policy, Brendan says the dog is trained to lie at Luke’s side when not being used.

“He is a highly trained animal and Luke will be solely using the dog for stability purposes to stop him falling. Surely that makes things easier for the school? I don’t know why the school has taken this stance; they haven’t explained it properly to us.

“The school hasn’t yet formulated a policy around this and it could be months before it does. Stability and assistance dogs are a new concept, but others use guide dogs in similar ways. People are going to have to start being open-minded. I mean, if they could see the benefits this dog has on Luke.”

The school points out that as well as developing a policy, the school’s insurers will need to be consulted, along with other parents. Subject to the outcome of the consultation process, the board of management may also need to take into consideration medical evidence and will give consideration to minimum hygiene standards, certification of training, health certificate and facilities needed.

The school says the family has been advised to make contact if further clarification is needed and that a meeting with the chairman of the board of management has been offered.

Meanwhile, as the school’s policy is formulated and his parents continue to battle for permission to be able to bring Aidan to school, Luke himself is getting tired of the situation.

“I’m bored, my brother is bored, and I really want this sorted out,” he said in his letter to the President, adding: “It’s all turned into a really big nonsense.”

Class canine: 'There has to be give and take'

Jennifer Dowler, chief executive, Irish Dogs for the Disabled

“We avoid confrontation with schools and we are inclined to work gently with them. We normally do not contact schools and don’t have huge resources and staff to be sending people out to schools without being invited.

“If schools have any concerns, we are always open to being approached. Children fall a lot in schools and we sometimes find that schools find it easier if children remain in wheelchairs.

“Often when you have a child with special needs or a physical disability, the situation needs understanding and there has to be give and take.

“In terms of taking a dog to school, it is a big step for a child. They are viewed very differently and both physically and psychologically they have to be ready for it.

“It is not something we would rush into and there has to be a natural progression. This would generally involve discussions between a family and schools and then we might be called in.

“At the end of the day, it comes down to the fact that a stability dog is like any piece of equipment given to a person with a disability. It is not for us to decide whether a blind person should use a guide dog or a cane. It is up to the person with the disability to use whatever they feel works best for them.”