Being confined to a wheelchair might be seen as a major hurdle to a child in his first year at primary school, but 5-year-old Jack Radford is demonstrating that disabilities can be managed.
Jack is in Foundation (Prep) at St Mary’s Primary, Newborough, and is tackling schooling with a zest for life and maturity which amazes everyone. He has cerebral palsy and is classed as a quadriplegic because of limited arm movement. But with the aid of his motorised wheelchair Jack is able to join in all the fun and games of the schoolyard. In fact, he openly admits that playtime is his favourite time of the school day when he can get out and interact with other students.
The school has just installed an all-abilities playground which was able to be used for the first time last week. Jack is able to commando crawl up the tunnel and then slide down again. Jack’s mother, Natalie Radford said he had not looked back since getting the motorised wheelchair when he was four. It gave him the mobility and independence he had been craving. She was full of praise for the way St Mary’s had taken on the challenge of caring and nurturing Jack. All the teachers, aides and office staff were magni?cent with him and he was loving school.
Mrs Radford said that Jack was hesitant about starting school because he had just had hip surgery but once he was there and saw how well the opther students accepted him, he loved it. She said the school had a couple of year’s lead-time to prepare for Jack’s arrival and so it had been able to ensure that during the last development that ramps could be put in and other minor changes to cope with a child with disabilities. Occupational therapists were able to work with Jack at the school and that was a bonus because it meant he did not have to be taken out of school for weekly sessions. Principal Kerry Wadey said Jack had come into the school system with disabilities but the way he had settled in was a great credit to him. The other children, at all year levels, responded well to his personality and treated him the same as everyone else. She said that after initial interest in the wheelchair and a Rabbit vertical mobility aid he also used to move around, Jack and his equipment was no longer seen as a novelty. His teacher Carrie Schembri said Jack had a great personality and a sense of humour which was what made him so popular with everyone. There were issues is dealing with a child with disabilities but Jack had made it easy for the staff to adjust to his needs.
This story first appeared in Catholic Life.
