Sara Cohen School pupil Scott Harborne's request for special education transport assistance funding has been declined in a review.
The severely disabled child's advocate, Terry Bartlett, described the decision as "disgusting".
Scott (16) had access to the funding, which helps transport special education pupils with mobility or safety issues to and from school, when he attended Taieri College.
However, when his mother, Leonie Harborne, enrolled him at Sara Cohen in Caversham, a new application for funding was declined because the Ministry of Education believed Taieri College was capable of caring for him.
Mr Bartlett and Ms Harborne believe the college does not have the infrastructure to care for a pupil like Scott, who is blind, autistic, epileptic and developmentally delayed and has a shunt in his brain, and they will take the fight for transport assistance to the Human Rights Commission if need be.
The pair were requesting, under the Official Information Act, documentation about the decision to decline Scott's application and had informed Dunedin South MP Clare Curran and Associate Education Minister Rodney Hide of the situation, Mr Bartlett said.
It cost Ms Harborne $90 a week to transport Scott to and from Sara Cohen, a cost she could not afford to pay out of her benefit.
Moving closer to town was not an option because she was in a Housing New Zealand home with good accessibility, which were hard to come by, and could not afford to rent privately.
If Scott continued to be denied transport assistance, sponsorship for him would be sought, Mr Bartlett said.
