Children with special needs can be an asset to society – our cafe proves it | Lucy Beattie

On Down’s Syndrome Day, the public and businesses should challenge their perception of what children with additional needs are capable of

When I was approached about working in a special needs school my first thoughts were, I’m not sure I could do that, I’m not sure I want to work with unresponsive children, in an environment full of medical needs and where children dribble as they eat, in a school at the top of the hill that most local residents don’t even realise is there.

Having now worked in Three Ways school for more than 10 years, and been the public face of the school in a huge number of networking events and in the local business community, at awards dinners and events, I can only say that I made the right choice, ignoring and then overcoming my prejudices and preconceptions.

Without a supportive family, a great social worker or a forward-thinking college, many of these young people end up being cared for at home and unable to work

Related: The UK is turning back the clock on the education of disabled children | Jonathan Bartley

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from Children | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2FNV9Qj