Girl with cerebral palsy home-schooled for 20 months due to lack of disabled toilets – Mirror Online

An eight-year-old girl has had to be home-schooled for 20 months because of a lack of disabled toilets in local schools.

Imogen Ashwell-Lewis has cerebral palsy and left Rogiet Primary in Monmouthshire in June 2018. It is the only local school with disabled toilets.

There are no other schools nearby where she lives, in Caldicot, Monmouthshire, that have suitable facilities for her.

The local council have said they are following Welsh Government advice.

Imogen's mum, Catherine Ashwell-Rice, told the BBC that her daughter left Rogiet Primary after she raised 'a series of concerns', including that she hadnt been invited to attend teacher and parent consultations.

These have resulted in her bringing a disability discriminatory appeal at a special educational needs tribunal, which has since been withdrawn after an independent mediator tried to resolve the situation.

Mrs Ashwell-Rice told the BBC: "Some of the schools were unsuitable because of the physical make up of them.

"And then we kept going further and further afield until we found schools that were suitable.

"Every time we think we've got a school and that things are going to move forward, we discover that the adaptations can't be made, or that we're promised they'll be done and they haven't.

"It's obviously been really disruptive for Imogen's education."

She told the South Wales Argus: Its so frustrating for her because she is a really articulate and clever child.

Its not just about learning its about the friends you make and the social skills you learn too.

"She hasnt had the option to lead anything like a normal little girls life."

Monmouthshire Council is paying for home tuition for Imogen for three hours, four days a week.

A Monmouthshire County Council spokesman said toilets were provided according to Welsh Government design guidance.

"Pupils' needs are assessed on an individual basis and further adaptations to toilets in disabled facilities are made if necessary," he said.

The spokesman added that an independent mediator was used to try and resolve the situation which led to Mrs Ashwell-Rice withdrawing her complaint to the Disability Discrimination Tribunal.

Disability Wales chief executive Rhian Davies said: "Despite 25 years of equality legislation, we're still not getting it right in Wales

"We're still a long way off a fully inclusive education system."

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Girl with cerebral palsy home-schooled for 20 months due to lack of disabled toilets - Mirror Online