‘Help my disabled son get to university’: Mum’s heartbreaking plea as transport woes risk degree dream

The 19-year-old is on the brink of having to defer his dream university course because he can’t secure suitable transport

A Co Antrim mum says her disabled son is being denied the chance to go to university because he can’t secure a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) taxi.

Joanne Stephenson’s son Charley is on the brink of having to defer his dream degree course in Zoology until next year because he can’t secure suitable transport from his home in Stoneyford to Queen’s University Belfast and bring him home again.

Charley, 19, is due to start Queen’s next week but has been left in limbo due to being unable to secure a WAV taxi to transport him.

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After contacting several taxi companies over recent weeks, Joanne says she’s come up against rejection after rejection while some haven’t even bothered to respond at all.

Joanne, a mum to three boys, contacted Belfast Live in a last-ditch hope of finding some sort of resolution for her middle son with special needs before it’s too late.

Charley was born with multiple congenital abnormalities. He had major surgeries in that first year, due to a rare condition called arthrogryposis, characterised by multiple joint contractures present at birth.

Pleading for help to transport her son, she told us: “It’s one of the most disheartening and stressful times to experience as a family. Charley already came up against some very hard months at the beginning of his A-Levels, due to undergoing extensive surgery on both feet, being absent from school for the best part of three months and still coming out on top with impressive results.

“It’s ridiculous that none of the actual process with regards to trying to secure a WAV taxi could be started until results day, which leaves a very, very short window to turn anything around and put it in place. Obviously you don’t secure a place until those results come out and then we had to wait for an official timetable, because in my eyes, there was no point in going around looking for a wheelchair accessible vehicle when you didn’t know the times that you needed to be lifted etc.

“When we started trying to put things into motion, a lot of wheelchair accessible vehicle taxi companies just came back with a flat no. One of those companies said they probably could do it but they couldn’t guarantee Charley being picked up at the same time every day and whether whichever car turned up would actually fit his manual wheelchair.”

Joanne says she’s been left in despair and feeling heartbroken for her son: “We’re just back to square one and there’s really no hope in my eyes of Charley going to Queen’s this year. Local MLA’s have been recently contacted. They have been polite and understanding of our situation but to date zero resolutions.

“It feels as if life is saying that because you’re disabled you can’t get the ordinary bus, so you don’t get the next step of your education by choice. We just want somebody that actually would give him a chance. Lagan Valley Rural Transport said they could get them as far as the Glider, but then there’s too many journeys in between.

“Down the years we have fought our own quiet battle and I have him where he is today, fully independent and knowing exactly what he wants. He doesn’t like to be treated any differently, but this to me has just nearly blown up his whole world again.

“You get the exam results and then you get the university place but because he’s disabled he can’t get there. It’s just very overwhelming and I ended up just bursting into tears myself last week. I just thought ‘I actually can’t take this anymore’. My heart is breaking for him but yet I’m also so frustrated with the whole situation.

“This world is not anywhere near as inclusive as it makes out to be and when life is already full of challenges for the disabled, it really shouldn’t be this hard to access the same opportunities as the rest of society.”

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