A Co Tyrone mum has made a desperate call for help for her severely disabled son as she says he has to crawl on his hands and knees up a set of concrete steps to get to his school bus.
Kayden McNamee, 10, uses a wheelchair as well as being non-verbal and dealing with autism and sensory issues.
The Strabane boy lives with his mum in the Ballycolman estate and his school bus stops yards from his home - but he is unable to access it directly as there is a set of five steps between his home and the bus.
READ MORE: 'Easier to get Beyonce tickets' than booking Dungannon swimming lessons, councillor claims
Mum Joanne says the alternative for Kayden is to go 400 yards around the estate, past a busy school which she says is not an option due to his autism.
She told Belfast Live she has been appealing to the Department for Infrastructure to install a ramp at the steps for almost a year now, but was told it wasn’t possible initially, before being told the Department would install it if the family paid for it themselves.
The Department has said it would be willing to carry out the work to install the ramp but it was subject to finding a "suitable design" and "budget availability".
Joanne said: “Last year Kayden broke his leg and he was in a wheelchair for eight weeks and we couldn’t get the wheelchair up or down the steps.
“Kayden is using a wheelchair now permanently because he has mobility problems, as well as autism and sensory issues.
“If I’m walking with him he has to go up the steps on his hands and knees to get up the steps. Getting down is even worse.
“He is only going to get bigger now and it’s only going to get harder for me.
“Because of his autism Kayden can’t cope with the noise of the school they are asking me to bring him past.
“It’s his human right to be able to go up and get on to the bus or to the car.
“As he’s getting bigger he’s getting heavier and it’s harder for me to manage him, getting up those steps is an accident waiting to happen.”
Joanne says because Kayden is non-verbal she feels as if she needs to be his voice on the issue.
“We had a site meeting with them and they told us initially that it couldn’t be done, a ramp would be too steep for those steps.
“They have since told us that it can be done but they just don’t have the money to do it.
“There are other people in our row of houses with mobility problems as well, so it wouldn’t just be for the benefit of Kayden.
“Kayden is 10 now and everything I have asked for for him is a fight, this is just basic stuff. I’m not asking for a toy here.
“Because he is non verbal I feel as if I have to speak for him and it’s just a constant fight.”
A spokesperson for the Department for Infrastructure said it was willing to carry out the work, subject to a number of conditions.
“The Department has previously given consideration to the request to provide an additional ramped access to the properties at Ballycolman Estate,” the spokesperson said.
“At present there are two ways to access the property, an upper access with five steps or the lower access which has one step on to a footway.
“The Department would be willing to carry out an improvement to the upper access, subject to a suitable design being feasible, which would then be considered for inclusion in future programmes of work, subject to budget availability.”
Local independent councillor Raymond Barr sad he had attended a site meeting with Kayden’s family, his social worker and representatives from the Department, to no avail.
Mr Barr added: “The social worker articulated passionately how the challenge of getting Kayden up the steps was having a detrimental effect on both Kayden and his mum.
“DFI came back to me and said, basically, if the family could find the money they would do the job, a contradiction in terms as they had previously stated the work wasn't justified.
“I feel the refusal by DFI to carry out this work is an infringement of Kayden's human rights and I would call on the department to reconsider their decision, a simple ramp would make an unbelievable difference to this boy and his mum.”
READ NEXT:
See the private island on market in NI for less than you might think
John Caldwell: Senior PSNI officer’s condition update one month after being shot by New IRA
New bereavement suite to be built at South West Acute Hospital
Four NI chefs prepare to cook up a storm in new series of Great British Menu
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
