A Cork father who has been campaigning for over a decade for an in-classroom Irish Sign Language teacher and interpreter for his profoundly deaf son says the battle left him broken.
Andrew Geary, whose son Calum was born without an auditory nerve, was appearing before the Oireachtas education committee in the wake of his family settling their High Court battle.
The family first began campaigning when Calum entered primary school but he says the process was difficult along the way but nothing could prepare them for the toll the legal challenge would take on then which they began in 2021.
The Geary family’s recent High Court settlement means 14-year-old Calum, who has started secondary school, will now have the support of a fully qualified sign-language interpreter in the classroom.
Andrew Geary told the Oireachtas Committe that families should not be forced to go to battle to vindicate the rights of their children.
Speaking to RedFM News after the High Court campaign Andrew Geary says it’s been a long, slow battle and he’s now trying to recharge and get back to being himself.
"Completely burnt out to be honest, we're completely flat. My wife and I just want to get back to being parents. It's been soul destroying being torn apart between your two life's loves, your family and your country.
"I've been a public servant all my life. It's been a very difficult process.
"I just need to recharge and get back to myself, and my wife to get back to herself after a very traumatic and troubling period of our lives."
