Law unfair to Nada… Family: “We, not our kids, are the disabled”

Nada’s mother believes that her disabled daughter has the right to enjoy a normal life like her siblings and peers. She is a victim of disability whose parents did their best to send her to a special school in Port Said in an attempt to improve her skills and integrate her with other children.

However, life is not always fair. The school refused to accept Nada because she was disabled. The family felt guilty for not offering her a normal life since she was born with an extra chromosome.

Nada’s mother says: “Nada passed the tests in a private school in Port said and they accepted her papers. Once they knew she was of special needs, they refused her admission and returned her file, although teachers said her answers allow her to attend school.”

“She is not disabled; we are the disabled ones”

“She is not disabled, we are the disabled ones,” Nada’s mother adds.
“My daughter is not disabled… My husband tried to convince the school’s principal to accept our daughter in the school, but her refused. He said he did not want to open the door for the admission of other disabled students. In fact, ministerial decision no. 42 of the year 2015 states that children with special needs who has a 64% to 84% disability have the right to be integrated with other students in schools chosen by their parents in accordance with their residency.”

‘You are unfair to her”

Nada’s mother went on to say: “After her rejection, I tried in another school but the headmistress also refused Nada, under the same pretext. When I told her that some schools in Cairo accept children like her case, she told me to go to Cairo, saying that I was unfair to the kid for not sending her to a mental education school.”

“Dead letter”

Nada’s mother was not willing to send her daughter to a public school that is not equipped to receive children with special needs, in addition to the overcrowded classes there, which might negatively affect the achievement of her daughter, and other children like her.

She also believed that integration between children with special needs and other ones is a dead letter as disabled. Kids are only registered at schools, but they do not attend classes. They show up to attend the exams and she wanted her daughter to get along with other students.

“Social awareness is a must”

Rehab al-Rayes, a phoniatrician who treats Nada says: “The girl is distinguished among her colleagues who have the Down syndrome. Her language skills are advanced and she enjoys mental abilities.”

“What happened to Nada was expected. However, the challenge her is that she enjoys certain capabilities. They did not examine that, but rather judged her depending on their previous experience with cases like hers,” She adds.

Rehab also believes that “we could help such children by changing the whole system and interfering with the case in early stages, through offering speech sessions and developing skills and reaching out to the society to spread awareness”.

“Nada could hire a lawyer but we don’t know what kind of treatment she would receive if she wins the case and gets accepted at school,” Rehab argues.