Open Doors Centre marks 15 years, strives for inclusivity

May 14, 2016 News

Even as the National Vocational Training Centre for Persons with Disabilities celebrates fifteen years of offering skills training to persons with special needs, the centre is working to expand its outreach with the hope of

Pupils of Open Doors centre at the Information Technology lab, C ‘Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown

successfully promoting inclusivity for the disabled.

On Tuesday, the Open Doors Centre (ODC) hosted a Dental Health Care day at its central location at the Ministry of Public Health compound ‘C ‘Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown. During the Health Day initiative, students and tutors of the centre were treated to free dental checkup and cleaning from staff of the Cheddi Jagan Dental School.
The centre has a number of activities in observation of its 15th anniversary, this month.
According to Manager of ODC, Arthur Lewis, the agenda for the month of activities includes an Awareness Walk; sensitising the public on services offered by the centre, an Open Day and Exhibition; a showcase of exhibits from all the courses conducted at the centre, a Culture Day; depicting and celebrating Guyanese culture, an Environmental Day; a community project and an Awareness Day with emphasis placed on the electronic and print media.
Commenting on their achievements, the Manager noted that several past pupils of Open Doors have moved on to further their studies at higher learning institutions in addition to the world of work, leading quite normal lives.

Manager of ODC, Arthur Lewis points to their mission statement.

Lewis beamed with satisfaction as he spoke of the students who are now employed by a few notable corporate and government entities following their training at the centre.
He said that the ODC accepts students from age 16 and works with them to unlock their potential and possibilities.
The Centre caters to 35 students with varying disabilities. He said that the centre currently facilitates persons with hearing impairments, speech disabilities, and the blind as well as those with other issues such as autism.
“The students travel from various parts of East Coast Demerara, East Bank Demerara and central Georgetown to access our services …The centre partially assists with transportation and we currently have 14 trained tutors to facilitate their lessons.” he said.
The Open Doors Centre offers a number of courses, including electrical installation, carpentry /joinery, garment construction, sign language, small business management and information technology.
“The classes have no more than 10 students at a time because the tutors would have to give each student special attention to get the best results.”
Speaking about future plans for the institution, Lewis noted that ODC is currently collaborating with the Ministry of Public Health and Ministry of Education to expand its outreach to the various regions of Guyana.
“It is our goal to set up satellites in New Amsterdam and Bartica, to offer similar training to persons with special needs.”
He said that there have already been consultations with major stakeholders to this end, in regions six and seven.
“We will likely commence at New Amsterdam since we have already had consultations and a workshop in there.”
The Principal further noted that the main objective of Open Doors Centre is to promote a society of inclusion which will especially benefit persons with disabilities.
“It is our mission to build an inclusive society. We are hoping to change the current thinking of Guyanese, and show society that these young men and women have a lot to offer,” he asserted.
Lewis added that the organisation is aiming to raise public awareness about the rights and the capacities of persons with disabilities, to improve their quality of life from a social standpoint.
“We want to ensure that persons with disabilities achieve and advance in the areas of education, employment and onwards.”
The ODC was established under the purview of the Ministry of Public Health to provide on a national level, a wide range of rehabilitation services for persons with impairments and disabilities, aimed at enabling them to achieve an optimum level of functioning physically, cognitively, socially and emotionally, thus affording them the means to change their lives towards acquiring a greater level of independence.
The Ministry of Public Health assists and supports the work of the centre through its annual budgetary allocations. The centre functions on a budget of approximately $30 million a year.