The Ministry of Education’s (MoE) Unit for the Blind yesterday launched a week of activities in observance of Blindness Awareness Month 2019.
According to Head of the Unit, Haslyn Richards, the Unit offers support to students in mainstream education, to enable those who are blind or visually impaired to access quality education and accomplish their dreams.
It was stated that the Unit, which was for 33 years housed at the St. Rose’s High School, had catered to the needs of a number of students up to the CSEC and GCE Advanced Level.
Richards advised that children must not be left out of the classroom, and should be encouraged to explore, ask questions, make friends, and participate in activities that will help build their self-esteem.
The ministry release related that the opening event was a forum for showcasing resources used to educate blind and visually impaired students, and included items in the areas of craft, braille, technology, home economics and agricultural science. According to Richards, it was a good way to raise awareness, and bring the public to the realisation that persons who are blind or visually impaired have normal lives and should be treated as normal people, the release said.
Ashley Gittens, a teacher in the unit, also noted that today they will be hosting a prize giving ceremony, which will be followed by a Career Day event tomorrow and a games day for the teachers and students on Thursday. A trip to Fort Island, Essequibo, will cap the week of activities.
The week of activities was declared officially open by Principal Education Officer Volika Jaikishun, who noted that the Special Education Needs Unit has centres that can cater to the needs of students that are blind or visually impaired.
Jaikushun, the release said, urged persons to take advantage of the opportunities available and to encourage others to do same, as there are many stories of persons who are blind or living with visual impairments, who are also leading satisfactory lives.
