WESTERN BUREAU:
FAMILIES OF children who are physically and mentally challenged in South Trelawny are concerned about the lack of skills training facilities in that area for their young ones.
They are also disgruntled that having identified a school within close proximity of their homes, they are stonewalled by the nonchalant attitude of the school's administrators who refuse to admit the children into schools.
However, the principal of at least one high school has denied these allegations.
"I have been at this school for the past two years and I have never been approached by such a parent," said Rudolph Brown, principal of Albert Town High School, when contacted by The Gleaner yesterday. "The children who attend this school were placed by the Government through the GSAT exam. I personally feel that if a child is mentally capable then he or she should be allowed to enrol in school."
The parents were given the opportunity to air their concerns at a public forum on the National Policy for Persons with Disabilities, at the Albert Town Community Centre on March 26. The policy, which was tabled in Parliament in September 2000, addresses the human rights of persons with disabilities, enabling them to function as citizens with rights and responsibilities.
The issues raised were directed at a panel of presenters from the Ministry of Education's Special Education Unit; Hixwell Douglas (visually impaired); Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) general secretary, Sarah Newland-Martin (physically challenged) and Jamaica Council For Persons with Disabilities (JCPD) programmes officer, Valerie Spence (physically challenged).
The presenters indicated that the issues were pertinent ones that deserved investigations. They said the only consolation for the concerned guardians at present was to send the children into Kingston. However, Mr. Douglas advised parents who encounter difficulty in getting their disabled children into school that there is recourse through the Ministry of Education or the JCPD.
The only skills training centres in Trelawny are the Kelly Lawson and HEART Vocational centres located in Falmouth, which do not cater for the visually and physically challenged. There are only three facilities in the country which offer training for persons who are similarly challenged, including the Abilities Foundation, Assess-ment and Guidance Centre located in Kingston and Woodside Workshop in Clarendon.
One parent said she was told that the Government was not responsible for the disabled after the age of 18. Without a skill, they become outcasts, she added.
The issues raised pose a direct challenge to the Policy to deliver on its goals "to improve the status and conditions of persons with disabilities so that they can enjoy a better quality of life in areas such as education, employment, health, housing, transportation and accessibility to all areas of the society.
The occasion was marked by the dedication of a ramp built by physically challenged persons at the Community Centre. There was a proud moment in the dedication ceremony when the audience, consisting of both disabled and able-bodied alike, witnessed the use of the ramp by George Holder (physically disabled) in his home-made tricycle wheelchair. Prior to this, Mr. Holder was forced to crawl into the centre on hands and knees in December when he last visited. Co-ordinator for the event, Iris Morrison, declared that "There has never been a ramp in Trelawny and this one brings inclusion and equalisation."
