A VIEW FROM THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS BRIDGET REIDY DUNDON
I did interviews with Liz Clear, whose daughter Kizzie goes to The Special Olympics group here in Portlaoise, along with Katie Reidy, whose son Kyle goes to the group as well! The Special Olympics are an amazing group who give support to people of all ages with disabilities and give them opportunities to get into sports and competitions.
How has the changes in routine impacted you and your family? How have things changed for you during quarantine? Liz: Life has changed dramatically for us and our child with special needs. We have been confined to our home but we’re lucky to have a big garden and live in the country so we could properly isolate. We have had to stop meeting people, only to go to the shop once a week. My husband and son have to work from home in case they bring the virus into the house. What we have considered normal things to do in our daily lives have gone and will be gone for a long time to keep our daughter safe. Katie: I have found the whole routine of my family life changed. The freedom to come and go as I pleased was no longer there. It was very hard to not let the kids go to see their grandparents and visit. Homeschooling was a new experience and a hard one to try to adapt to.
Liz: The changes have had a huge impact on our family. Everyone is confined/stuck with each other. The closure of the school, the suspension of all clubs, sports and social [activities], the closure of respite services and therapy services has led to huge behavioural problems for our daughter which impacts all the family. Simple household tasks now have to be carefully planned between three people. Katie: My son Kyle has ASD, Autism Spectrum Disorder. His whole routine has been taken from him. His daily schedule was turned upside and had no structure. It was hard to try to adapt to a new daily routine that would not impact him too much. I had to change my working hours in Tesco to make sure that Paddy and I were not overlapping our working hours too much so childcare would not be an issue. 27 | Making History
