Deep anger for the hundreds of families affected. From next September, some of the disabled children in Loire-Atlantique educated in Ulis (Localized School Inclusion Unit) will no longer see the adapted school transport which takes them from their home to school stop in front of their homes.
The departmental council (PS) has just announced the elimination of these minibuses for families who live less than 5 km from their school, or less than 10 km from their college, replaced by financial compensation. An “unworthy” decision for Laetitia Lohéac, mother of an autistic and epileptic child and spokesperson for the Handicap 44 in danger collective.
Discrimination
” It’s discrimination ! Our children, already fragile and vulnerable, are not subject to budgetary adjustments, she protests. It’s a double punishment for families who already have a particularly complicated daily life. » Concretely, the “sudden” cessation of this service deemed “essential” will require some 450 families to accompany their child themselves.
Additional journeys, which sometimes require an adapted vehicle, certainly paid for by the departmental council but which are not without consequences on the organization and the personal budget of families.
Aboveground
“It’s a huge mental burden for parents, some of whom may have to reduce their working hours, or even stop working,” continues Laetitia Lohéac. “We are also offered to take public transport… no, but let them put themselves in our place! », she gets annoyed.
“It is absolutely not suitable for children with autism, multiple disabilities, or other serious pathologies… Let us also remember that these families, sometimes single parents, do not choose the location of their school,” explains the distraught mother.
“One big thing less”
At a time when Artus’ film, A little something extrastill a hit at the cinema, a petition has already been signed by nearly 2,700 people in a few days to demand the return of “this big thing less”. A demonstration in the coming days cannot be ruled out, as the measure is struggling to pass.
“The icing on the cake, during the public meeting where this decision was announced, the vice-president in charge of disability declared that families “had to make an effort!”, reports the mother of a little girl with Down syndrome, who will have to spend “an hour’s drive” per day if the decision is upheld. It’s true that we are asked to make very little effort! Make an effort to finance unsupported care, make an effort to wait two years for administrative decisions from the MDPH [Maison départementale des personnes en situation de handicap]…”
Guarantee help for the furthest away families
Requested by 20 minutes, the Loire-Atlantique departmental council ensures that it is “listening to concerns”. He explains that despite a budget dedicated to the transport of disabled students increasing each year (to reach 10 million euros in 2024), it must now be “controlled” while demand is exploding. “For several years, and this is good news, there has been a dynamic towards inclusion with 29% more students transported in the department,” we explain. The challenge was to guarantee help for families who are furthest from their school. »
According to the community, the latter are in the majority while a student with a disability would be forced to travel an average of 20 km morning and evening, due to the limited number of places in Ulis. As for others, faced with this new regulation, “each situation can be studied on a case-by-case basis”, promises the department.