Gaining access to school for the child with a tracheostomy

Admission to school for a child with a tracheostomy can present numerous problems. Reasons cited by school authorities for denying access to school for these children include liability issues, financial constraints, inadequately trained health personnel in the schools, logistic problems, and the fears of school staff. Attempting to exclude children with tracheostomies from school is discriminatory and illegal. At the Children's Hospital National Medical Center a model program was developed to resolve conflicts and facilitate the assimilation of the child with a tracheostomy into the school system.