Family’s leap of faith for special school

A family are jumping out of a plane at 13,000 feet in the sky – to put themselves in the shoes of special needs children and teens who every day are expected to live outside their comfort zone in order to fit into society.

Gail Maguire has persuaded her husband Peter and 16-year-old son Daniel to take the leap in order to raise funds for St Joseph’s Special School in Newcastle in the city which like every school in the State is flat out trying to prepare for reopening after the Covid-19 shutdown.

Their daughter Tiana, 14, has been attending the school run by Ability West full-time since she was five. She travels on a bus from their home in Newcastle outside Monivea.

“School provides a respite for parents and carers so they’ve been coping for five months without that. I know lots of parents who are really, really struggling,” says Gail.

“We’re quite blessed – Tiana has Down syndrome and is quite easy – it’s just patience and help she needs, she doesn’t really have challenging behaviour but other children do.

“Kids, particularly those with Autism, are used to routine and when they’re without routine they regress and there has been an increase in challenging behaviours. The school has to have the funds to open safely so families can have that bit of respite again.”

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