Jadessa Hytönen receives off-campus therapy support at Kipinä activity center in South Savo

Jadessa Hytönen, a 10-year-old girl with severe disabilities, prefers playing restaurant over being a veterinarian today. Though she does not speak, she communicates effectively with her occupational therapist using yes and no cards. Due to her complex needs stemming from Rett syndrome, her therapy sessions require two adults. Accompanying her today is Anne Jukarainen, her personal assistant and school aide, who has been with Hytönen since she was four years old.

Typically, aides are not allowed to participate in therapy sessions occurring outside school hours, but today marks an exception as Hytönen is receiving therapy at the Kipinä activity center, part of the South Savo welfare region. This change has arisen because the school has restricted Jukarainen’s attendance at therapies outside school premises during school hours. Hytönen’s mother, Anna-Maria Markevitsch, expresses her frustration with the school’s collaboration.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, disabled children have the right to both education and rehabilitation, which should be integrated seamlessly into their lives. However, integration issues persist across Finnish schools. Hytönen’s school principal, Janne Syrjäläinen, confirms that the local education authority has directed that aides are not to participate in off-campus therapy, citing longstanding policy that families are responsible for organizing such support.

Challenges such as lack of space in schools also hinder therapy integration. Despite the tight schedule, the principal notes that there are available facilities after regular school hours for such activities.

Activists argue that communication and understanding around these rights are crucial, highlighting that children’s rights to education and rehabilitation are often overlooked in practice.