Eighteen students of the Open Doors Centre, a vocational training institution for persons with disabilities, graduated yesterday with skills in information technology, carpentry and joinery, garment construction and electrical installation.
Among the 18 graduates who attended the graduation ceremony, at the Pegasus Hotel, was one who has already landed employment with the Ministry of Public Health.
The 2014-2016 class was comprised of individuals with a range of physical and learning disabilities, with the youngest being in their teens and the eldest being above 40. The students, it was related, were initially part of a batch of 40 students that had started the programme, ten each being enrolled in the four skills areas.
The Open Doors Centre, established in 2001, offers two-year skills programmes for differently-abled persons.
Arthur Lewis, Director of Open Doors Centre, stated that persons with disabilities are usually treated as “objects of social welfare,” and tend to be woefully underqualified. Even when educated, he said, they are often denied promotions and decent jobs, which is an issue Open Doors seeks to address by filling the education gap that exists because of discrimination.
He extended congratulations to those that successfully completed the programme and charged them to “be good ambassadors” and “strive for excellence.”
Parents and guardians present were urged by Chairperson Avril Boston, who serves as the Craft instructor at the institution, not to isolate their children, but rather, to involve them in activities at home as they are oftentimes more capable than they are given credit for.
Joshua Smith, who as Best Graduating Student and Most Outstanding Student in the area of Information Technology (IT), was asked to stay on in the IT department of the Ministry of Public Health after completing an internship there.
Smith thanked his principal and teachers, whom he said through leadership and example helped him to realise his potential. He also thanked God and his parents for always leading him down the right path.
Marie Gonsalves was named the runner-up Most Outstanding Student in the area of IT, while her classmates Ayana Marcus and Melissa Moses were runner-up for and Most Outstanding Student for the area of garment construction, respectively. Moses was also the runner-up to Smith for Best Graduating Student.
Aside from the Ministry of Public Health, other organisations that played a role in facilitating the students for work attachment were the National Commission on Disability, Carnegie School of Home Economics and the Region Four Regional Democratic Council.
Lewis explained that there are four skills courses currently being offered at the institution and those are supplemented by core courses, which include entrepreneurial training, sign language, English and Mathematics.
Lewis stated that there are plans for expansion of the Open Doors programme, both in physical space and in the scope of subjects being offered. He related that management is desirous of offering new programmes, such as cosmetology, food preparation and agriculture, as well as training to equip users of assistive devices with the know-how to maintain those systems.
Furthermore, Open Doors is looking to expand its services to regions Six, Seven and Two, which is a process that Lewis said has already started. Region Six, he stated, will have access to those services soon.
Currently offering spaces to 40 students during every programme cycle, Open Doors is now looking to increase that number to 60 over the two-year period.
