–after completing camp in Region Six

THE Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities (GCOPD), in partnership with the Department of Education Region Six and with support from ExxonMobil Guyana and the Board of Industrial Training, held the closing ceremony for the Independent Living Skills Day Camp for children who are visually impaired, on Friday.

The camp was held in the Empower Guyana Building in Palmyra, Region Six. Twenty children who are blind or visually impaired participated in the three-day camp.
According to a press release, the ceremony was attended and spearheaded by Lasawhna Prescott, Community Relations Advisor, ExxonMobil Guyana; Ganesh Singh, GCOPD Programme Manager; Hulda Fraser, Special Education Needs (SEN) Officer – Region Six Department of Education; and Rosemarie Ramitt, GCOPD Programme Officer.
In his remarks, Singh underscored the importance of persons who are blind or visually impaired acquiring independent living skills, and the need for children who are blind or visually impaired learning these skills in their formative years.

He also highlighted the importance of the GCOPD’s ExxonMobil Guyana-funded orientation and mobility programme on the lives of persons who are blind or visually impaired through which these independent living skills are taught.

In her remarks, Fraser provided an overview of the work of the Region Six SEN Unit and the impact of such activities on the lives of children with disabilities.
Prescott commended the GCOPD for consistently meeting the challenges set by ExxonMobil Guyana by adding new features that support inclusion and make a bigger impact on the special needs community.

“For people living with visual impairments, having access to resources, information, and support that encourage inclusion can truly change lives,” Prescott said.
She ended by thanking the GCOPD trainers, the Ministry of Education, and the Board of Industrial Training for their support and commitment to this initiative, which shows inclusion at every level.

The 20 participants were exposed to training in the areas of using the kitchen as a person with a vision disability. This session included special techniques to complete various tasks and talking kitchen devices.

The participants were engaged in a day of sports where they were introduced to blind cricket, blind football and goal ball. The participants also benefitted from training in public speaking, various types of assistive technology, social etiquette among other areas.

The Independent Living Skills Day Camp for children who are blind or visually impaired is a component of the GCOPD ExxonMobil Guyana funded orientation and mobility training programme for persons who are blind or visually impaired.

Since the commencement of the programme, approximately 700 persons who are blind and visually impaired including children were taught independent living skills such as how to use the “white cane”, smart phones with text-to-speech software, among other skills.