Cerebral palsy boy can’t go to school after his dog is banned
A BOY suffering from cerebral palsy hasn’t been able to attend school since Christmas – because he has been banned from bringing his dog with him.
Since the golden retriever called Aidan became part of his life, Luke Kelly-melia is ‘a different boy’.
But the school will no l onger allow the dog to accompany the 13year- old to classes, meaning Luke has missed out on three months of classes.
Before he got his pet, the teenager suffered constant falls and was unable to use a stairs without assistance. However, since Aidan was provided by the Irish Guide Dogs For
‘He wants to be
brave’
The Disabled charity in Cork last November, Luke’s life has changed beyond recognition.
The schoolboy has written to President Michael D Higgins, urging him to help so that he can return to school.
Luke wrote: ‘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.’
Luke’s mother, Pauline, added: ‘Luke is just a different boy.
‘ Before Aidan, he didn’t even know what it was to have freedom to power walk, to feel out of breath because he couldn’t balance without the dog.’
For the past three months, Luke has been home-schooled by parents Pauline and Brendan because Knocktemple National School in Virginia, Co. Cavan, will not allow Aidan on its grounds.
Prior to the ban, he guided the sixth- class pupil to school. Luke’s parents used to take the animal home afterwards.
Problems arose, however, when the family started planning to leave the dog at school with Luke all day.
And while the boy is ‘flourishing’ in English and Maths at home, his parents want him to be able to have a ‘normal, fulfilled life’ with his classmates.
Mrs Kelly-melia said: ‘Some people say to us “Why can’t Luke just go to school without the dog?” But they really don’t understand.
‘Would they expect their children to go to school and fall repeatedly, hitting their head?
‘Or would they want their child to be able to run and play normally without falling?’
‘I just want the best for my son like any mother does and now that we see how much Aidan has given to Luke, we will not let go of him for so-called rules and regulations.
She continued: ‘I do not want to have to see my son falling and tripping again – holding back tears because he wants to be brave.
‘If there is an option to stop him falling, from hurting himself, we want to use that option and we will keep fighting for that human right.’
The school, which insists that it is committed to developing a policy around disability dogs, said: ‘Dogs are not allowed on school property without adult supervision and are not allowed in the classroom.’
It also says that it has 12 children with autism attending. Six more are expected to enrol in September. It is not known if stability is an issue with any of the others. Meanwhile, time is ticking by for Luke as he watches his 11-year-old brother, Oisín, and sixyear- old sister Arwen pack their bags and head to school each day.
The one outlet the teenager currently has is the local Foróige in Virginia. The youth club has no issue in allowing Aidan to accompany Luke when he meets up with friends.
Mrs Kelly-melia revealed: ‘I just don’t understand how the youth club can allow Aidan to attend while the children play basketball and football, table tennis in a busy hall.’ Luke keeps busy at home too by writing his blog, which has already received 10,000 hits. And 1,800 people have signed an online petition to get him back to school.
His mother concluded: ‘But still, here we are three months later. All we want is for our son to be happy, fulfilled and for him to have freedom like all other children.’