The mum of two young girls has expressed her frustration they have not had a place in school for months.
Shelbie Heasley withdrew her daughters Violet and Amelia from their primary school last year due to a lack of accessible facilities for those with disabilities.
Violet uses a wheelchair due to a rare condition called Osteogenesis Imperfecta that causes her bones to fracture very easily and had difficulty accessing parts of the school, particularly the toilet, which was not equipped with the facilities needed for a child in a wheelchair.
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Because of this Shelbie withdrew her children from school and says that she has since not been able to get a place for them anywhere else.
Speaking to Belfast Live, the frustrated mum says that she has been constantly ringing the Education Authority in order to secure a place for her children, but keeps getting passed to different departments and believes that none of them are willing to be responsible for getting the children a school place.
Shelbie said: "My daughter Violet has a condition where she needs to use a wheelchair, however her previous school did not have the facilities that would allow for this.
"During Covid a ramp was installed, but there was not a wheelchair accessible toilet that she was able to use meaning that she would either have to hold off going to it or face wetting herself when she was in school.
"Because of this I removed both of my daughters from the school, as they did not want to go to different ones, and since then I have been trying desperately to get them into a school that is suitable for them, but so far I have had no joy whatsoever.
"For months I have been back and forth with the Education Authority and have been passed back and forth from many different departments trying to get them a place.
"Travelling is not an issue for us and we are willing to go anywhere that is available, as long as it has the facilities that will mean Violet is able to safely go to school without any worries."
The Education Authority has been contacted for comment.
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