ChildVision funding cut less than was feared

A NORTHSIDE school for visually impaired children will have its funding cut by

?¬55,000 this year. ChildVision, based on Gracepark Road, Drumcondra, had feared that the cut might be over

?¬200,000.

The school, which offers invaluable services and support for children with vision impairment and other disabilities, had suffered cuts totalling over

?¬700,000 in the last six years.

Despite the confirmation of the

?¬55,000 cut from this year’s budget, the reduction is lower than had been feared based on the HSE’s monthly grant allocation for the first two months of the year.

In January, Northside People highlighted how the school’s monthly HSE funding had been cut by five per cent.

Concerns were raised that the budget reduction would continue in that vein for the remainder of the year, which would have resulted in a

?¬205,000 overall cut.

A spokesperson for ChildVision said it has received clarification from the HSE that the cut for the year would be 1.3 per cent.

According to ChildVision chief executive, Brian Allen, the cut, while lower than expected, is still

“brutal

? as it adds to previous cuts passed down by the HSE over recent years.

“Significant credit for the situation not being worse must go to our local representatives who had highlighted the reductions during January and February, and to the Northside People for keeping the pressure up through its pages,

? said Mr Allen.

Olga Williams (pictured), whose four-year-old daughter Mila attends ChildVision’s preschool in Drumcondra, described how vital the school is for children with vision impairment and their families.

Mila’s vision has been significantly impaired since she suffered a brain haemorrhage when she was just three-months-old.

Her parents found themselves in an overwhelming experience, uncertain as to how to raise and teach a child with vision impairment. But their fears and worries were allayed when she got a place in ChildVision.

“After Mila’s brain hemorrhage she had surgeries where shunts were put in and taken out of her brain,

? Ms Williams told Northside People.

“She was blind for almost a year after but regained a little bit of her vision.

“For us as parents it was a very scary situation to be sent home with a child who is almost blind.

“You don’t know anyone else who has been through that experience; you don’t know how you can and should teach your child with this disability.

“I’d gone to so many crèches but the majority of them told me they could not take Mila because they weren’t equipped to deal with her vision impairment.

“What other options are you left with as a mother trying to work?

“My head was spinning until I went to ChildVision which was just an incredible and life-changing experience for us.

“Disability and vision impairment was so normal there and all the children were treated the same and they thrived in that environment.

“We got support, assurance, advice and above all comfort there that everything would be okay. You can’t put a price on that.

?

Ms Williams described how some families have moved home to be closer to ChildVision, if their child is lucky enough to get a place there.

“This school is the only one in the country for children with vision impairment,

? she explained.

“These children cannot go to playgrounds or to regular schools because their needs are so specific.

“As a parent you want to give your child the best opportunities in life but unless they get a place in ChildVision I don’t see how that’s possible.

?

Ms Williams said it would be very tragic and really quite depressing if ChildVision was forced to reduce its service because of budget cuts.

“The Government’s ultimate goal would be to facilitate people with vision impairment to live independently or partially independent,

? she added.

“That goal becomes much less obtainable when vital facilities such as ChildVision are cut in their funding.

?

?¢ HAPPY BIRTHDAY MILA: Olga Williams pictured with her daughter Mila on the occasion of her fourth birthday (March 4). PHOTO BY DARREN KINSELLA