Ariel
“I knew it was important for Ariel to be surrounded by other children. When I could see for myself how it could work, I felt confident that he would be safe. I said to myself: ‘Wow! It’s possible!’”
When Julia Maas found out her son would be born with an impairment, she had a clear feeling of purpose. “I felt this was the journey that was meant for us,” she explains.
“We have our challenges every day, but we are so grateful to God for what we have. Ariel is a wonderful boy and we have drawn a lot of strength from our Christian faith. It has helped us persevere when times have been hard.”
Sending Ariel to his local school was a leap of faith that has more than paid off.
The mum of five lives with her husband Peter on a lifestyle block on the outskirts of Waihola – a small township between Dunedin and Milton. They are a multicultural family with a mixture of Russian, Dutch and Canadian ancestry. The Maas family moved from Auckland to create a better life for themselves and their young son – finding working and caring for him too tough in the big city.
Julia’s instincts were to keep Ariel close where she knew he would be loved, accepted and well cared for. “I felt it was my job to care for him. He needed almost constant supervision, didn’t have any language and had high physical and emotional needs – it was hard to imagine anyone else caring for him,” she says.
They wanted to shelter him from a world that was not always accepting of diversity and difference.
Looking back, Julia feels the family was in ‘survival mode’. They had moved to a place where they knew no one, they were adjusting from city to rural life with no real experience to draw on, Julia was pregnant with their youngest child and the only support they’d ever had for Ariel was from medical professionals.
When he was 18 months old, Ariel was referred to CCS Disability Action’s Otago branch by an Occupational Therapist. Julia met with Early Intervention Coordinator Megan Scott, who came to see Julia and Peter in a local café.
The meeting lasted a few hours and they found themselves sharing their story and their journey so far. It was a defining moment for the family. “Megan came into our life like a blessing. We had no knowledge of disability, we didn’t understand the system and, until then, no one had offered us any choices for our son. At that moment everything changed. We are so incredibly grateful to her.”
“They are an absolutely gorgeous family and love their kids so much,” says Megan. “When I first met Julia, she wasn’t keen for Ariel to go to preschool, which is completely understandable. It’s hard for any parent to send their little ones off into an unknown environment and when your child has additional support and education needs, those feelings are amplified.”
While home-schooling works well for many students, Megan knew that the benefits of high-quality early childhood education would have flow-on effects for the whole family. Not only would it give Ariel an opportunity to meet other children his own age, and extend his knowledge and skills as he explored the early childhood curriculum at his own pace, but also connect Julia and Ariel with a network of local parents.
Julia and Megan decided to visit some local preschools – just to get a feel for the options that might be available.
The family was completely won over by the nurturing and welcoming environment at East Taieri Preschool. “They were so inclusive and welcoming from the moment we walked in the door. They were amazing and completely understood, and supported, his right to attend and belong there,” says Megan.
Ariel (right) and little sister Hannah (left).
Part of Megan’s work involved organising funding for Education Support Workers, who were employed by CCS Disability Action, to attend preschool with him. Their role was to assist and encourage him in his play, practice particular skills and guide positive social interactions with other kids. They also worked alongside the preschool Kaiako (Teachers) to adapt information, activities and routines to suit his needs.
Once everything was laid out, Julia realised a life she had hoped for, but never imagined, was in fact now within reach. “I knew it was important for Ariel to be surrounded by other children. When I could see for myself how it could work, I felt confident that he would be safe. I said to myself: ‘Wow! It’s possible!’”
It was a leap of faith that paid off, with Ariel blossoming during his preschool years.
A highlight for Megan was watching him bring some of the skills he developed at preschool into the home environment. “At home, the family used to feed him, but at kindy, he was encouraged to feed himself because that’s what all the other kids did. He decided after that he wanted to feed himself all the time, which was an awesome milestone and something he felt proud to do,” says Megan.
Julia too was amazed by the changes in her son. “We saw him start to use manners, his behaviour changed, and he had a sense of routine. I saw how happy he was there, which was incredible.”
Julia also began making friends with other parents, something that became increasingly important when they welcomed Ariel’s little sister Hannah into their lives.
With Ariel approaching school age, Julia was still not convinced that mainstream school would be a good fit for her son. “I was so hesitant. I said, ‘There’s no way it could work!’”
Megan and the teachers at preschool gently reminded Julia of how well mainstream education had already worked.
The family made an appointment to visit Waihola Primary School, their nearest school, and received another warm welcome. “The principal did not see Ariel’s disability or extra support needs as a problem. Inclusion is so often about attitude, and it was immediately clear that this was a place that would meet him where he was and be there for him. It was a natural progression, with the same principles of inclusion,” says Megan.
Megan worked with Julia and the school to create a Transition Plan, to ensure Ariel would be well-supported and had clear goals for his learning. She also successfully applied for ORS funding which meant Ariel could have a Teacher Aide to work alongside his teacher while he was at school.
And the result? Ariel recently settled into his new school and is thriving.
“It is the perfect place for him. They have a wonderful principal and amazing support from the whole team. It has transformed his life,” says Julia.
While Megan has been in the background to smooth the way, she feels Julia is the real hero. “She is a lovely, lovely woman and she’s done all the hard work. Sending him to a mainstream preschool and then later to school, wasn’t an easy choice. I think she’s an incredibly brave and strong person.”
