
SNA Appreciation Day is being celebrated across the country today.
A Laois special needs assistant is calling for recognition within schools across the region for he and his colleagues.
Today marks SNA Appreciation Day where competitions, information packages and cake days are being organised across the country.
The aim of the campaign is to ensure special needs assistants get the same rights as their teaching colleagues, such as being able to sit on a school board of management.
Alex Cathcart is a SNA at Portlaoise Educate Together National School, and the Laois rep for Forsa's SNA branch in South Dublin and South Leinster.
He says it's about raising awareness: