DfI agrees to new ramp for Kayden

AFTER years of relentless campaigning, a local mum’s mission to have a ramp installed outside her home for her disabled son, is finally coming to fruition.

Ballycolman resident, Joanne McNamee has been embroiled in a long-standing battle with the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) to provide her autistic son, Kayden – who also has Down’s syndrome – with the accessibility he needs.

For four years, 11-year-old Kayden has struggled with the five steps outside his home, making it difficult for him to reach his school bus in the morning. Without a bannister for support, Kayden often had to crawl up the steps on his hands and knees or rely on his mother to lift him.

Last year, an accident confined Kayden to a wheelchair, forcing him to navigate a longer, more arduous route to the bus.

This change caused significant distress for both Kayden, who thrives on routine, and Joanne.

After initially refusing to install the ramp, DfI suggested that the family bear the cost themselves. However, mounting public pressure and media coverage eventually forced the department to reconsider.

Now, following the completion of a land purchase agreement between the DfI and the Housing Executive, the project is at last poised to move forward.

This week, mum Joanne received the joyous news that the department plans to commence work on the ramp in the near future.

Speaking to the Chronicle, Joanne said, “I’m delighted things are almost at an end. After previously refusing to install a ramp I am glad DfI have relented and we are close to having a ramp that Kayden can use, not only to access his school bus, but the wider community.

“The plans and design are all in place as far as I know so now it’s just a waiting game; hopefully we won’t be waiting too long,” Joanne continued. “I don’t know when the ramp will finally get installed but I would hope that it will be before any bad weather sets in around autumn or winter time. Ideally I would love it if the ramp was in place before Kayden goes back to school, although I don’t think that would be possible; it’s been a long road but this is definitely a step in the right direction.”

Joanne has once again issued her sincere thanks to everyone who has helped with the campaign, reserving special thanks for Cllr Raymond Barr.

“If it wasn’t for Raymond bringing this matter to light and the coverage afforded Kayden’s plight by the press, we may not have gotten this far so I would like to say a sincere thank you to everyone involved.”

Cllr Barr also thanked DfI for agreeing to carry out the work, adding, “I’m delighted to hear that Kayden and Joanne will son have the ramp installed. The installation of this ramp is going to make life that bit easier for Kayden and his mum to access transport.

“It has been a struggle to get to this stage and I would thank the various agencies and support workers who have been great advocates for Joanne and Kayden, in particular the Northern Ireland commissioner for children and young people. I appreciate the budget constraints on government agencies at the moment and I’m grateful to DfI for for finding a way to make this project possible. The significance of this ramp cannot be overstated.”

When contacted this week a spokesperson for Department for Infrastructure said, “The timeframe for construction of the ramp cannot be confirmed at present as there remain a number of procedures to be completed for land acquisition, however it is hoped work will start in a matter of months.”