About Us

A bit of History…

Frances RYAN came back to Paris in 1983 from Malta where having a disabled child was considered to be a sign of your parents’ or grandparents' sins. Expecting to find everything in place, she found not the sins but, a semi-desert for the Anglophone special needs' child.

A few very isolated therapists were struggling with overload. A grouping of professionals was definitely needed - so from the pizza and wine meetings on the floor at her home of 35 years ago, SPRINT has become known worldwide.

We all know that the first step in any challenging adventure is the hardest, and it is the four founder members, (Frances RYAN, Carolyn COMFORT, Jackie TODD, and Jane PLIMSOLL), who did a tremendous amount of foot work before being able to open any doors for the child with special needs.

Mother Teresa is known to have always said :
"I always looked at the individual".
And, SPRINT has always kept that maxim in mind.

Slowly, recruitment continued and SPRINT grew in numbers as new expatriate members joined our ranks with the latest refreshing ideas and enthusiasm.

Representing SPRINT, Frances RYAN went to an E.C.I.S. workshop in Switzerland and SPRINT was thus made known to Europe and to the United States, where she visited the State Department of Washington and the E.R.I.C. Clearinghouse (Educational Resources Information Centre) in Maryland.

Recently, the British Community Committee in France has welcomed us into their fold. Vital worldwide networking was, and still is, being done by past and present members.

In 1985, SPRINT asked Gordon to be brought back from Switzerland (he’d had to leave France due to lack of facilities in France) with his mother and classroom teacher to show how a special needs' class could be managed. Put to the 13 International Schools in Paris, only Marymount accepted the challenge. The others were afraid that their reputation would become 'schools for fools'.

Here, a very special thanks to Carolyn COMFORT, our first treasurer, who put together the financial project for a special class which convinced the board members, one of whom actually said "How can we not do it?"

Our first individual was a 6 year old Lebanese whose family had had to leave Beirut because of the war. They had searched for a school in France for six months, in vain. As it was financially impossible to create a new school, SPRINT did the next best thing : convince an existing school to create a specialized class within their own campus and limit the cost. This Lebanese boy thus became SPRINT’s first Individual Learning Centre pupil. Five more children filled up the centre immediately. The ILC, the Individual Learning Centre, became known as the “I Love Children” class, and is still active today as a specialized department at the Marymount School.

And, by no means the last individual, but a first in the Anglophone system, Paddy, a child with Down's Syndrome, joined the KG class at Marymount in 1991. He has since been followed by others.

Thanks to the needs of the ILC graduates, a resource centre was then opened up by the British School of Paris in 1994, led by Jeremy Daynes a special education teacher.

How has SPRINT helped the community over the years?

Firstly, concerning the community, SPRINT has helped many anglophone healthcare workers find satisfying work in Paris (as some of them, in the beginning, referred to themselves as “trailing spouses”).

Secondly, thanks to the open-door conferences and in-service workshops, SPRINT has given awareness to teachers, educators, and the wider international community on the situation here for special needs children, which, although not ideal, has improved. Indeed, thanks to SPRINT’s first efforts, special education has now become a part of Paris’ International Curriculum.

Thirdly, through creating SPAN (Sprint’s Parent Action Network), which evolved over the years into KIDJAM with Valerie Beatson and nowadays into EKIPP (Exceptional Kids In Paris - and Parents too) with Erin Reeser and Kathleen Sperduti, SPRINT created as an offspring, a vital parents' support group.

SPRINT donated monies to both Marymount and ASP for their specialised testing materials when starting up. Kidjam received an upright piano from SPRINT in 2014 and, one Christmas, instead of spending money to put food into our mouths, we spent it on tickets to see Howard Buten's "Buffo" a one man show in aid of his clinic for autistic adults.

Recently, together with EKIPP we have also created a mini-bursary for families in need of financial aid. Each family is considered individually.

SPRINT has also helped families with legal difficulties. When a child was refused entry into a bilingual Parisian school, SPRINT offered support to the parents who went to court. The case was won for discrimination against a special needs child.

Like a rain drop dropping into a puddle, SPRINT'S ripples have spread wider and wider over the years. The work for worldwide networking is still going on with recent partnerships with the BCC in Paris, and contact from Hong Kong asking for information on what is available for children with special needs as of today.
SPRINT’s project is to make inclusive schooling for children with special needs an everyday part of Parisian schools. And even though there is still quite a way to go, we at SPRINT are proud to have helped hundreds of children over the years and plan to continue for many years to come.

Our 35th Anniversary Celebration…

September 2021, SPRINT celebrated its 35th birthday. To celebrate this monument of an anniversary, we organised a rooftop soirée in Boulogne-Billancourt for all members and partners from over the years. Many people turned up for the occasion, and the evening was a great success.

Here is a slideshow of pictures from the evening :

And here is a collection of all the speeches from the evening :

We would like to thank all the people who have worked within SPRINT to make it what it is today : presidents, secretaries and treasurers, as well as all the past and current members who volunteer to work in the different task forces that allow us to do what we do best : help and promote inclusive education and healthcare for special needs children and their families.

Special thanks to :

Presidents :
Frances RYAN
Jackie TODD-MOREL
Deanna CANONGE R.I.P.
Jane PLIMSOLL
Seta KAZANDJIAN
Graìnne DUNLEAVY

Secretaries :
Jane PLIMSOLL
Michelle SMIRES

Treasurers :
Carolyne COMFORT
Judy BARRET
Michelle DAS
Erika DUMMOND

Vice-Presidents :
(since 2019)
Nialani GREEN
Jessica LAMENT

Communication Coordinators :
(since 2016)
Georgina PETERS MACDOUGALL