This piece of news was written by Taylor Ortega for the Elite Daily online newspaper on the 18th of November of 2015.
It is about a seven-year-old blind girl named Lily-Grace Hooper whose walking stick was banished from school, the Hambrook Primary School, for health and safety. The reasons why this was done were that the teachers and students could trip over it while walking around the school. The mother was infuriated by this and told the Bristol Post that her daughter needed her cane to guide herself and that the measure was discrimitation. Even though Geoff Cox, head of the Health and Safety executive public sector team, agreed with Lily-Grace's mother that the little girl needed the walking stick, the school suggested getting an all day adult assistance for her. This was totally refused by the mother, who held that she wanted her daughter to grow as an independent girl. Finally, the school said that the banishment of the cane would be temporary until they could speak to Lily-Grace's mother to talk about it.
Lily-Grace Hooper with her mother
Personally, I think that what the school did to Lily-Grace Hooper is awful. The walking stick is a measure that helps her walk around and it's something used by a lot of blind people. I don't see how it is a danger for teachers and students that she uses it. The school said that someone could trip over the cane and that it was a safety problem. Well, I say that you can trip over a lot of things at school. Why don't they ban pencils or scissors or football balls, for example? Those can cause harm too. I agree with Lily-Grace's mother, it really is a ridiculous and unnecessary measure. I hope that this little girl was finnaly allowed to bring in her cane because it's an important tool that helps her deal with her disability.
VOCABULARY
round-the-clock: lasting or continuing throughout the entire 24 hours of the day; continuous.
ban: to prhibit, forbid or bar; interdict.
cane: a short staff used to assist one on walking.
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