Children’s rights breached ‘every day’

As the mother and father of two children with disabilities, we feel blessed. Our children teach us more than we can ever teach them.

They teach us how to celebrate every moment and more importantly how to treat each other.

However, in the education system they are viewed as challenging, violent and a safety risk to others. We hear it’s hard for teachers having to “deal with” our children.

We are talking about NZ’s most vulnerable. Children who have medical, developmental and learning conditions. Children unable to walk, talk, eat, communicate their needs, process instructions and regulate their emotions.

The school environment with its traditional structures, expectations, rules and demands is challenging, the huge lack of understanding and training is challenging, the lack of support and funding is challenging, the discriminating attitudes are challenging — not our children.

The application process is biased, undignified, difficult, long and more often than not will be declined.

We have experienced a nasty parent-blaming and child-blaming culture from the Ministry of Education and schools.

We’ve had our child come home screaming in pain from sensory overload and the teachers saying “she is fine”.

We’ve had a teacher say to my daughter in front of her peers she’s “had enough of her”.

Our children have their basic human rights breached in our education system every day. They aren’t sent to school for that.

They aren’t challenging, violent and harmful, it’s the education system’s approach to them that’s challenging.

Aaron Te Runa (right) and Kataraina Werahiko (left) with their son, 18, who has Down syndrome and autism, and daughter, 9, who also has autism. The couple do not want them named.