Parent Power

If your child’s school isn’t accessible, make your presence felt, says Isobel Ward. It worked for her.

At 3am on 31 January 1989, I found myself in an attendant-controlled grey wheelchair being pushed along a corridor of Kings College Hospital in South London with a newborn baby on my lap. For once, I felt like other mothers, unable to walk to the ward after giving birth — but in reality I wasn’t able to walk anyway as I was a permanent wheelchair user, the result of multiple sclerosis. Back in my room, one of my first thoughts was "How the hell will I deal with him when he’s able to walk, indeed able to walk away from me?"

School's out: But how easy is it for disabled parents?

Now, 12 years on, I look back at how I’ve managed through his nursery, infant and junior schools, and the effect my involvement has had on staff, parents, children and, of course, Marcus.

One thing I’ve learnt is that if you want schools to include disabled parents, you have to make your presence felt. Seeing me in a wheelchair or scooter, other parents and staff became very supportive. Through this we set up a network of parents who all helped each other to help their children through the various stages.

At infant and junior school, I met other parents and teachers through reading workshops one morning a week and soon got myself known. I was conscious of how important it was to be at the same eye level as infant and junior age children.

I volunteered to be Marcus’s class parent representative and made myself available after school to note parental comments. From here I applied to be a parent governor at junior school and was chosen by other parents to act on their behalf.

Rosendale School in Dulwich, London, was already multi-cultural and forward looking with a head teacher keen to improve access for disabled parents and children. Even so, I had to become chair of the governors before we could install a ramp in the junior building, improve security and a have a perimeter fence to be proud of — still no graffiti on it.

From having separate infants and junior schools, we were able to amalgamate them and get more funding for the resulting primary school. With the extra funding we could make the junior school accessible like the infants. The borough was persuaded to remove the temporary, inaccessible huts and replace them with accessible classrooms.

Primary to secondary school was a big jump. I joined other parents in working with Southwark Council to establish a new, accessible comprehensive in the Dulwich area. MPs Harriet Harman and Tessa Jowell were involved with The Charter School too. But Marcus did not get a place there because we were just outside its catchment area. Many borough decisions don’t account for the needs of disabled parents.

Luckily, he was offered a place at the Harris City Technology College in South London, which was also modern and accessible. I’ve wondered whether the fact that I went along with him to an interview and was seen by the interviewer made a difference.

Of course, there will always be times when Marcus can do things that I can’t and I have had to come to terms with that. It has been an important part of his education and of mine and perhaps it has brought us closer together.

I have needed to confide in him and trust him in areas where other parents may not need to and give him responsibilities over and above what other parents might give, but this is no bad thing.

By getting involved in his learning environment, perhaps other disabled parents can make an impact on the society in which these children will become adults.

Posted: 24 August, 2001

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