THE Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities (GCOPD) took a significant step toward promoting inclusive education by distributing six laptops on Friday last to teachers in training and recent graduates with hearing impairments and visual disabilities.

The laptops were distributed at the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Ministry of Health Guyana Regional Special Education Needs (SEN)/Disabilities Diagnostic and Treatment Centre, located at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) in Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara.

This initiative was made possible through the generous support of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The distribution ceremony was led by GCOPD Programme Manager Ganesh Singh, who emphasised the importance of equipping teachers with the necessary tools to enhance classroom content delivery.

Singh noted, “Through this project conceptualised last year, we received a donation of laptops, tablets, and various mobility aids to support the independence of persons with disabilities.” He also highlighted that the first phase of the project involved distributing tablets to 150 school-age children, with training in assistive technology funded by UNICEF and supported by the office of the Assistant Chief Education Officer for SEN (ACEO-SEN), Keon Cheong.

Singh announced that the final phase of the project, which will conclude next week, includes the distribution of tablets to children with disabilities in Region Three.

The laptops distributed to the teachers are equipped with JAWS (Job Access With Speech) screen-reader software, enabling blind and visually impaired users to interact efficiently with computers, both at CPCE and in their future classrooms. Singh remarked that access to computers is transformative for individuals with visual impairments, enhancing opportunities in both education and employment.

ACEO-SEN Keon Cheong praised the initiative, noting that the collaboration between GCOPD, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and the MoE plays a crucial role in achieving the ministry’s mandate to ensure inclusivity in education. “This project shows Guyana and the world that persons with disabilities can make valuable contributions to the economic development of both the nation and the world at large,” Cheong said.

Registrar of CPCE, Kevaun Sears, expressed her excitement at being able to train teachers with disabilities through the institution’s special needs education programme, piloted by Cheong. She highlighted that CPCE will soon present its first cohort of graduates with Associate Degrees in Special Needs Education.

Sears added that the college has supported persons with disabilities since 2014, when the first blind student from the Guyana Society for the Blind’s Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) programme enrolled. Since then, more than 80 blind or visually impaired individuals have taken CXC exams through this programme, which continues to receive support from the MoE.

The GCOPD’s ongoing efforts to support teachers and students with disabilities demonstrate a strong commitment to creating a more inclusive and accessible educational landscape in Guyana. Through partnerships, technological aids, and comprehensive training, the council aims to empower individuals with disabilities to succeed and contribute to society on an equal footing.