Glenda Anderson, Staff Reporter

Hope Valley student Bryan Henry poses for a photo. - photo by Amitabh Sharma

To the first-time visitor, it is a building housing a primary school in Elleston Flats in St Andrew. Nestled in a quiet corner is the special unit where 55 children come together to learn and play. They are across age groups, the youngest four and the oldest 14. They are children with limited or severe disabilities.

Here, 12-year-old Bryan Henry is anxiously awaiting his GSAT results, and he is excited to go to high school. It is no mean achievement for someone who needs assistance with holding a fork to eat. Bryan has cerebral palsy and he has overcome the odds to get to this level.

Bryan's grit and perseverance have been coupled with the hard work that his teachers put in for him. Sonia Dinnall, special-education unit teacher, said, "we do whole-group sessions. Bryan does everything but cannot write. (He) needs a transcriber, which is the main challenge."

Nine-year-old Danae Clarke, diagnosed with cerebral palsy, has been identified as an exceptional student and is an all-rounder, excelling as much in sports as she does in academics.

For Bryan and Danae, and more so their parents, it is a challenge they have to overcome each day. Danae lives on campus at the Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre as her father cannot take her home to Portmore.

Bear hugs

"Danae is very smart," her father, Dehaney Clarke, said, as he shared bear hugs with his daughter.

Bryan's mother, Desrine Morris, would carry her young son on her back or lift him in her arms and walk to the bus stop when he was younger.

They still have a long day to cope with. They wake up at 4 a.m. and get to the bus stop by 5 a.m. Morris says that it sometimes takes them an hour to reach the school.

The story is the same in the afternoon. They have to wait for a bus to ferry them back home.

"The fact that private transport doesn't readily take wheelchair-bound passengers, we have to wait for the bus," Morris said. Sometimes the two get home by 8 or 9 p.m., she added.

The students at the special unit are expected to leave school when they are 12 years old, but some are allowed to stay on for two more years. "This is to address their particular needs or their situation," said Sharon Williams, principal of Hope Valley Experimental School.

Williams said her school emphasises extra-curricular activities for all-round development. "The academic experience for students is enhanced through life-skills classes which prepare students for life after school," she said.

Challenges

According to Williams, the school has its set of challenges. It is struggling to keep the special unit going. the major problem has been a shortage of specialised staff.

"Getting special-education persons (teachers) is a challenge," Williams said. "Sometimes, even before they get their certificates, they are scooped up overseas."

As a result, the school has to turn down some applications from students with special needs. "We have to be turning back students because our facilities cannot hold them," Williams said.

Yet another challenge is the future of these children after they leave Hope.

"There are not many places that they can afford, " Williams said.

"Ideally, there should be a one-in-eight ratio for disabled students and one in five for the severely disabled," Williams said. " In reality, the figures have doubled."

The principal said they also need social workers, occupational and physical therapists and caregivers in order for each grade to function effectively.

Despite the challenges, life goes on for these children. Bryan is hoping to get a computer at home. He wants to be a "computer genius". he nurtures a dream to send emails to TV personality Raven-Symone, the girl he loves.

The Hope Valley experiment took off in 1972 and today has 1,000 students, with an academic staff of 41 and six caregivers. The school has a three-room unit which houses its severe and specially challenged students.

Hope Valley Experimental School, Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre, Kingston 7. Phone: 927-2473 or email: shrnwllshr@aol.com

'Making a difference' is an initiative to highlight the work of service clubs and social organisations in Jamaica which are transforming communities across the country. We invite organisations which are working towards a cause to participate in this endeavour. Contact: 922-3400, ext. 6377 ,or email: amitabh.sharma@gleanerjm.com