News

Philip Hamilton, Gleaner Writer

Phil Watson is proud to be one of 30 persons with disability who recently achieved passes in the 2010 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations through a special project providing high-school tutelage to disabled adults.

Watson, who lost his sight at age 26, added mathematics and English language to the pass in principles of business (POB) he attained some years ago.

Now 39, he is looking forward to more academic success to improve his chances of getting a job.

"The more subjects you have, the better it is to gain employment, as employers require that applicants have at least five subjects," said Watson, who has not had a steady job since he lost his sight.

The Secondary Level Education for Adults with Disabilities project, which was launched in September 2009, aims to provide adults with disabilities, like Watson, improved chances of securing employment and tertiary-level training by adding varnish to their academic status.

The Combined Disabilities Association (CDA) has estimated that less than 10 per cent of the population of persons with disabilities in Jamaica are employed. It said the lack of adequate academic certification is a factor driving that statistic.

The Labour Market Study, published by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security this year, indicates that 21 per cent of bosses interviewed had employed persons with disabilities. The study said the types of jobs which were filled by persons with disabilities demanded low-skill levels.

With the odds of gaining meaningful employment seemingly against the disabled community, the CDA, with US$25,000 funding provided by the Jamaica National Commission for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, facilitates 30 persons with an opportunity to sit English lan-guage, mathematics and POB in the 2010 CSEC exams.

The project was hosted on the premises of the Jamaica Society for the Blind.

It also involved the provision of materials such as tape recorders to non-print and non-Braille readers for the purpose of note-taking and studying, as well as the repro-duction of reading materials and test papers in Braille and large print for blind and visually-impaired students.

Upward mobility

America Carruthers, who lost her sight two years ago, is also full of praise for the programme, noting that it was an avenue for upward mobility for the disabled.

"I decided to enrol in this programme because I want to achieve higher levels, as the sky is the limit for us, no matter what disabilities we face," said Carruthers, 25, who passed POB and English.

Lesia Lloyd, one of three teachers recruited to teach the students, said the project was a good experience, despite the initial challenge of tutoring disabled adults, several of whom had been absent from the formal school system for several years.

"We really had to buckle down to complete a two-year syllabus in nine months. I am really proud of them, as they did well," said an elated Lloyd, whose class of 24 students scored 22 English language CSEC passes.

Dr Maria Smith, UNESCO's representative in Jamaica, told The Gleaner that, while the programme faced challenges, she was pleased with the outcome.

Smith noted that the project, which was for one year, would require further funding, which UNESCO was trying to identify.

"We want to look to see whether our educational sector in UNESCO can offer any help. We have been having discussions with UNESCO Caribbean to see how we can help, especially for those doing resits," said Smith.

philip.hamilton@gleanerjm.com