A secondary school in Co Offaly has become the first in the State to open a Government-supported unit to teach children with a moderate learning disability, including Down's syndrome and those with autistic tendencies, in an integrated setting.
Killina Presentation Secondary School, just outside Tullamore, is now teaching 14 girls and boys aged 14 to 18 in a specially built and furnished unit.
The students interact with the main student body and have been widely accepted by their peers, a move welcomed by their parents.
The school principal, Mr Pβdraig Moran, was first approached in 1998 by a psychologist at what was then the Department of Education's psychological services division and is now the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS).
Ms Anne-Marie Sheehan says she acted only as a "conductor" in bringing the various sections of the Department, the school, the religious order and the local health services, around one table to discuss the possibility of opening a dedicated unit for children with a moderate learning disability (MLD).
"It required an awful lot of people to come together to get this thing going," she says.
"Offaly was unusual in that it did not have a special school at primary level, so when it came to post-primary, there was a problem finding places for the children with a moderate learning disability," Ms Sheehan said.
"I had been visiting Killina, and because of the very particular atmosphere and ethos of the school, I approached the principal to ask if they would be willing to host such a unit. I think the Presentation Order and Mr Moran as principal were very open to the idea of including these children in the mainstream and they thought it would be good for the mainstream children as well. There was quite an inclusive, warm atmosphere in the school anyway and they were responsive to the overtures."
The various sections of the Department worked with the school and the health board to bring the project to life. It opened, with temporary accommodation and six students, in September last year.
"There was complete willingness to do the best possible job on this. The Department gets a lot of flak over special needs, but from day one, it was 'yes, yes and yes'. They couldn't do enough."
Ms Sheehan believes the project is "symbolic of a movement towards treating these children the same as everyone else and respecting diversity".
This week, it was evident that the 14 students in the unit (it can take a maximum of 16) have settled in well to their new environment. Many of them were previously accommodated in primary school, some of them until well beyond an age when their peers had left for second level.
Everyone associated with the project, however, is keen to emphasise that national schools in the area, with limited resources and support, have always provided a superb service for these students.
The unit was handed over by the builders this week and will be officially opened by the Minister for Education, Dr Woods, in a fortnight. The principal, Mr Moran, is so far delighted with the results of this unique project.
"The national schools have done tremendous work but, socially, the kids were aware they were in primary school and now they are with their peers," he says.
The ease of integration for all the special needs students has been "wonderful". The other students operate a "buddy system" with the special needs students and link up with them at set times during the day to help them with their work.
The unit is superbly designed to meet the needs of all the teenagers. It is fully equipped with classrooms and activity areas, shower room, bathroom, including hoists for those with disabilities, a kitchen with a height-adjustable hob and sink unit. There is underfloor heating for safety and comfort.
The piΦce-de-rΘsistance, however, is the multi-sensory room. A "chill-out" room in every sense of the term, it is designed to be calming to the senses. Dimly lit, with music and slides of calming scenes projected on the wall, it contains a heated waterbed and various distractions for the students.
Staffing has been a priority. There is a full-time resource teacher, a temporary full-time teacher and an allocation of 735 hours a year for a student teacher. The unit also has three childcare assistants.
Dr Woods, told The Irish Times the development of the first special class at second level was "yet another concrete manifestation" of the Government's "firm commitment" to children with special needs.