Mother of children with autism becomes barrister to help others
Louise Walsh
A mother of four children with autism was so fed up fighting for their rights that she has become a barrister in order to help other 'desperate' parents.
Carol Lennon recently graduated from Dublin's Kings Inn College after her studies, which she combined with her role as a full time carer for her kids as well as homeschooling during Covid-19 lockdowns.
The 45 year old from Mornington is now hoping to be able to give free advice when she can, especially to parents of children with autism.
"I actually always thought I'd always study nursing but then I saw an advertisement to try law for a day at Kings Inn so I said I'd give it a go and I loved it," she said.
"I started the course in September 2019 and then Covid happened and everything went online, including homeschooling for my kids.
"I got up at 5am each morning to do my own studies before schooling the children from 9am. But I did it with the support of a lot of my college peers who were always there to help me.
"I'm now deviling which is essentially an apprenticeship with a Master. I'm doing a year in civil law before I work in another area of law for a further year.
"All my life, I've had to fight for my children's rights. I had to report myself to Tusla for being a bad mother because a delay in getting school transport meant I had to try and be at three schools at the one time.
"Grants, services, I've had to fight for them all. Another friend was forced to take a court case after the system took away an allowance for one of her sons because they claimed he wasn't autistic enough! And it's not the first time I've heard children being described as not being autistic enough.
"Parents in general are desperate so if I can give any advice, I will and the main problems I'm hearing now have to do with social welfare rights and relationship breakdowns.
"My kids are grown up now so the challenges I face are different. Tristan is studying genetics and zoology in college, Logan is in his second year in carpentry apprenticeship, Tiegan will sit her Leaving Cert next year and Xylan is currently in Transition Year.
"Due to my carer's allowance, it was hard for me to find a Master to do deviling because I'm only allowed to work 18.5 hours a week while the other graduates are working 39 hours. That's a problem with the system. You could be a carer for years and if that person you are caring for passes away, your allowance is taken away within twelve weeks and you are lumped onto the job seekers allowance.
"Carers should be offered training. Some have more experience at medical administration than those working in the field and yet they have no qualifications.
"I'm loving what I do right now and if I can be a voice for those in desperation out there, I will try my best."