Summer camps refusing to accept children because they have autism
Charity says parents are reporting exclusion and it’s against the law
CHILDREN with autism are being refused places in summer camps in what could be a breach of the law, according to a prominent advocate for the disorder.
Adam Harris, the CEO of autism charity AsIAm, says his organisation has had many parents get in touch to say a summer camp won’t accept their child once their autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is disclosed.
The Irish Mail on Sunday has learned of one mother who informed a camp that her child may need extra instructions due to his ASD, prompting the camp to ask if he had a special needs assistant (SNA) in school?
When told that he did, the camp said he would therefore need one at the camp – which would have to be sourced and paid for by the family.
Mr Harris said that autistic people and their families are used to facing ‘barriers across Irish society in the public sphere’, such as trying to get a school place.
But he said these challenges are ‘often only exacerbated when it comes to for-profit organisations or voluntary organisations that are providing extracurricular activities like summer camps’.
He told the MoS that his charity ‘frequently encounters families that are told their child isn’t welcome in a homework club, or that their child’s needs can’t be met at a summer camp.’
He labelled such exclusion ‘obviously deeply concerning’ and said it ‘potentially represents a breach of the Equal Status Act 2000’ – which prohibits against discrimination
‘Ignorance is no excuse for refusing people’
in accessing goods or services.
‘It’s just another example of a barrier being erected for families of children with autism,’ he said.
‘Very often the term that our families are most used to is “No”.
‘“No, I can’t help.” “Sorry, I’m the wrong person to talk to.” “There’s a waiting list for that.”’
Mr Harris – whose older brother, Taoiseach Simon Harris, set up a group to help the families of children with autism and ADHD as a 15-year-old – said that ‘ignorance is no excuse’ for refusing people with ASD.
‘Would we accept that excuse for any other category of people within our community?’ he asked.
‘Would we accept a situation where a summer camp said we can only include children of one gender or one sexuality or one race?
‘It’s simply unacceptable in the Ireland of 2024 to be refusing access to a service based on neurotype, and I think that is the fundamental and central message.’
Mr Harris, who has autism and remembers his parents having difficulty getting him on extracurricular programmes as a child, said the Department of Education’s Summer Programmes scheme will have ‘nowhere near enough schools’ signing up.
The opt-in scheme offers sumdealing mer programmes for pupils with special educational needs and much needed ‘routine and predictability’ in their day-to-day lives.
But access to the programme is not just about ‘continuity’, Mr Harris said.
‘What it’s also about is recognising that it is very often the only mechanism by which children can have those enjoyable summer experiences that children across Ireland take for granted.’
AsIAm gives families advice about what their rights may be in a situation where their child is excluded, and ‘critically, access to our legal advice clinic, should that be the most appropriate course of action’.
The CEO called it ‘very welcome’ that there has been ‘a growing number of rulings in the Workplace Relations Commission
‘We’re seeing movement towards inclusion’
with autism accessibility’.
‘There would have been a point in time where accessibility perhaps was understood in much more narrow terms, but I think we are seeing more and more of that take place,’ Mr Harris said.
And he added that it is ‘very disappointing’ to see businesses neglect their obligations under the Disability Act 2005 to make sure their services are accessible and inclusive.
‘What we are seeing in communities around the country in recent years is a momentum towards inclusion. And indeed we’re supporting 31 communities across Ireland at present towards our Autism Friendly Town Awards and working with many businesses providing services to families – restaurants, hotels – that are taking measures and steps to promote autism accessibility.
‘So businesses that are failing to engage in that journey are really only going to be left behind. At least one in 27 children of school
‘More want to meet autistic kids halfway’
age are autistic. So it makes no sense to design services that exclude that population.’
He said we are now seeing more communities and businesses who ‘want to lead and want to meet autistic people halfway’.
‘So there’s lots of good things happening on the ground,’ he said. ‘But we wouldn’t comment or praise if a typical or non-autistic child has the opportunity to enjoy the summer camp, so it’s disappointing that we’re still in the space where we have to celebrate or call out [those including/ excluding autistic children] for what are really very, very basic expectations that every child should be able to enjoy.’