Loft us Hall plan for handicapped school may be in jeopardy

April 1975

Plans to use Loftus Hall, Fethard-on-Sea, as a residential school for Spina Bifida children are in jeopardy because of the refusal of the Department of Education to provide weekend transport to and from the hall.

The County Medical Officer, Dr. B. Finucane, who is a member of the Wexford branch of the Spina Bifida Association, said on Tuesday that the Department was not against the proposals, but they couldn’t face another transport bill at present.

The Department had looked into their plans and seemed to favour them, but had said that the ocst of the transport ruled out their implementation at the moment.

Mrs F. French, Secretary of the Co. Wexford Branch, explained that they would only require the transport on Friday evening and Monday morning. The school would probably be serving an area of fifty miles radius.

A lot of the children were incontinent, she said, and some of them were so badly physically handicapped that they couldn’t be sent to National School. It would be very embarrassing for them, particularly as they got older.

Mrs French said the school would be manned by the members of the Rosminian Order presently based at Loftus Hall. They would probably start with less than twenty children until the service became properly organised.

It is understood that there is pressure on the nuns to move elsewhere, which might mean the closure of Loftus Hall, placing a time limit on the offer of the use of the building.

A sub-committee from the branches in Counties Waterford, Kilkenny and Wexford has been set up to look into the matter.

There are approx. twenty-five Spina Bifida children represented in the Co. Wexford Branch, and Mrs French estimated that were would be about the same number in Kilkenny and Waterford.

There are day schools in Dublin and Cork, but there are no special educational facilities in this area.

Dr Finnucane said that Spina Bifida children had normal intelligence, but many of them were very badly physically handicapped. A school in the area where they could avail of the educational facilities and remain close to the home environment was, he felt, the answer to the schooling problem.

About 90 per cent of them don’t need remedial teaching, he added.

Mrs. French said that if and when they resolved the problem, they would require the co-operation of parents in the three counties.

‘When it comes to the crunch, we will need them to utilise whatever facilities are available,’ she said.

The Rev. Mother at Loftus Hall was unwilling to comment on the matter when contacted on Tuesday evening.