Leaving school is daunting for anyone as it’s moving into the next phase of your life. The usual route is going to College, getting a job or doing an apprenticeship in some form or another. Exciting times ahead for all. However, for some people with an intellectual disability it can be a more challenging route. So what happens…
Parents with a child with special needs will work with their social worker and get a referral to one of the below service providers. The recommendation is early intervention but most clients will transfer to one of these services providers after they leave school subject to the recommendation of the clients social worker.
- St. Michaels House http://www.smh.ie
- Cheeverstown – Airton Road http://www.cheeverstown.ie
- St. John of God Carmon Services https://www.sjog.ie/
Many services users do not get the correct or timely support to move onto the next stage of their lives. Organisations such as Down Syndrome Ireland http://www.downsyndrome.ie help each person with their challenges and ensure they have a voice and are heard in their community.
Damian Byrne who is part of St. Michael’s house has many a bow to his arrow. One area is his local job where he works and has done so for 12 years. He is proud to work at ‘The Morgue’ in Templeogue every Wednesday and is a huge asset to the staff that day. I spoke with Sabrina one of his managers and she said ‘Damo makes our Wednesday easier and brighter. He does his job with pride and goes the extra mile to help us with duties not on his list. We’d be lost without him’. Well done Damo.