Mayo Deputy Michael Ring, Fine Gael Spokesperson on Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs has today expressed his outrage that the Visiting Teacher service for the Visually Impaired (VTVI ) in County Mayo is to cease.
According to Deputy Ring, it is claimed that the service, which had been provided most recently only on a restricted basis, cannot continue until additional resources are secured. In the meantime, a telephone consultation and advice service is being offered and perhaps a local visitation service through nearby Visiting Teachers for the Visually Impaired will be explored.
Deputy Ring stated that parents have also been told that while there is no guarantee of service for new referrals until further notice, it is important that such referrals be logged by the VTVI service for attention as soon as is practicable. The role of the visiting teacher is to provide schools and teachers with support in meeting their particular educational needs as vision impaired children. Deputy Ring said that “I am calling on the Minister for Education and Science to review this decision and ensure that the needs of visually impaired children in Mayo are not ignored,”
Labour’s Harry Barrett has strongly condemned the decision of the Dept. of Education, to axe the appointment of the only teacher for visually impaired children in Mayo. Mr. Barrett said, “There are 40 children registered with the National Council for the Blind in Mayo, there are about 60 children in total using the service and they now have lost this vital specialist service. It is one of the most reprehensible decisions that I have come across in recent times.”
