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Linden’s visually impaired children need more facilities, transportation
– say parents
By Enid Joaquin
“Nobody is looking towards our children’s interest.”
This is the collective cry of several parents of visually impaired children in Linden. They are making an urgent appeal for more facilities for their special needs children.
Some of these children attend the Unit for the Blind and visually impaired at the Wismar Hill Primary School.
Though lacking many of the amenities needed to properly educate the children, the Unit provides the much needed academic foundation, through the hard work and dedication of the two specially trained teachers.
The problem however, begins when the children start secondary school, where there is a complete dearth of facilities, and no teacher trained to teach them.
This state of affairs is causing much concern to the parents of these children.
With schools scheduled to reopen in another week, it is a time of much anxiety and frustration for parents like Ronella Jarvis.
She has two sons who are visually impaired.
Previously students of the Unit for the Blind and Visually Challenged at Wismar, both children were awarded places at the Mackenzie High School, after writing the National Grade Six Exams.
For the elder boy, Rellon Sumner, this is his third year at the school, but for his younger brother Roell this would be his very first term in a secondary school.
Ronella Jarvis and her two sons, Roell (left) and Rellon
Mrs. Ronella and her spouse
That is what is presently causing their mother so much anxiety, as she is convinced that enough is not being done at the secondary level.
“Rellon is going into fourth form, but he is really not equipped for work in a higher form, because all that’s happening is that he getting promoted, without having the proper knowledge for a higher form.”
According to Jarvis, the regular schools do not have any systems in place for children who are blind or visually impaired.
“The children need computers with the Jaws programme (Job Access With Speech) so that they could better understand what is going on in the classes. They also need recorders, because then they could record their lessons and listen back when they get home. Parents would also be able to listen to the lessons and help the children to write their notes.”
“When both the past and present Government decided to give out computers, they should have really thought about these children, because they need them more than anyone else. It could mean the difference in whether they get an education or grow up illiterate.”
Jarvis’ biggest fear right now is that both of her children whom she says have great potential, would not achieve much because of the lack of facilities at the secondary school level.
According to informed sources, there are presently only two teachers that are specially trained to teach the visually impaired and blind in Linden. Both teachers are attached to the Wismar Hill unit.
There is a problem however, when the children graduate and begin secondary school.
“These teachers got to be running from one school to the next, to assist these children, because the regular teachers don’t know how to deal with them,” a concerned parent pointed out.
Some persons are of the view that teachers are reluctant to be trained as special needs teachers because the work is more “pressure”, but the salary is the same.
“Government needs to look into this matter, we need more special needs teachers, but in order to attract them, the package has to be attractive. They should not be paid on the same level as the regular teachers,” one man suggested.
Parents are also calling on Government to provide a bus for the visually impaired and blind, as commuting to and from school is very challenging for them. Some parents complain that a few operators don’t have the patience to deal with the children.
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