Law degree mum to fight for rights of the disabled
ASWANSEA mum whose battle over her autistic son’s education inspired her to study law has now pledged to help other families following her graduation from Swansea University.
Kate McMurdo, aged 37, embarked on a Master’s degree while also juggling care responsibilities for her son, Lewis, aged nine.
During this time she also endured a personal fight to meet the needs of his education.
That followed a long line of hurdles both she and husband Alastair, from Southgate, faced as they sought to give Lewis the support and care he needed, both at home and at school.
Lewis also suffered numerous health problems during Kate’s studies, including a period earlier this year when he was admitted to hospital.
“Every day is a battle when you have a disabled child,” said Kate, who swapped a career in teaching for law.
“The bureaucracy is insurmountable and means families are placed at a real disadvantage. I have spent years limited in earning capacity due to being an unpaid carer, and it grinds you down.
“I had become so weary of all the fighting and injustice that we faced as a family on a daily basis that it drove me to make a difference and to study law so that I can help my own family and others like ours to realise their rights and to change the disability landscape in Wales and beyond.”
While combining her studies with caring for Lewis and raising their three-year-old daughter, Isla, Kate and Alastair say they faced a battle over their son’s schooling. They wanted Lewis to be somewhere that could care for his complex needs, and eventually won their battle for him to attend the Gwenllian Education Centre in Kidwelly, where he is now thriving.
“It was very nerve-racking,” said Kate.
“He (Lewis) is more vulnerable than a toddler because he has the emotional capacity of an 18-month-old, but the physical speed and agility of a nineyear-old, so he is constantly at risk. His learning disabilities and sensory issues are also severe.
“I felt it was a wholly discriminatory practice because parents of mainstream children are allowed to visit different schools and state a preference, and therefore we should be able to do this too.
“Gwenllian have been absolutely amazing.
“Since attending, they’ve taught him to start saying some words, and he actually calls me ‘Mama’ now, which means so much – I waited eight years to hear it. The whole experience has been life-changing.”
Despite his education being secured, Lewis continued to encounter additional health problems and was admitted to hospital on numerous occasions while Kate continued her studies.
She missed three months of university earlier this year when Lewis suffered low oxygen levels.
Kate missed a core exam period and consequently had to sit nine exams in the space of 10 days in August. She passed every one.
“I was so happy when my tutor told me I had passed,” she said. “I have gained a different perspective on the things in life that really matter.
“But I could not have done any of this without the love and support of Alastair.
“My next next step is to try to study for a PhD.
“I would never have done this without that motivation and the love I feel as Lewis’ mother, which makes me want to make the world a better and safer place for him and others.”