CARIMAC Times 2016: The JREAM Edition Journalists Reviving Awareness of what Matters | Page 149

In spite of this, Ricketts said he was determined
to overcome the odds and complete secondary
education. He explained that, having been taught
to read Braille at an early age, he used a Braille
machine to type notes in classes, which assisted
him with studying at home. During internal
examinations, teachers helped him to read the
questions and also wrote the answers he gave.
For the Caribbean Secondary Examination
Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced
Proficiency Examination (CAPE), fourth form
students aided him in the same manner.
Hendricks pointed out that the JCPD provides
support in order to ensure that more PWDs
can access formal education.
“We provide what we call shadow support or
personal assistance support ... Those who
have moderate to severe disabilities, they are
able to move up with help. Somebody is there
with them in the classroom ... Maybe taking
the notes or helping them in whatever way, so
that they can be [in school].”
Once registered with Council, persons with
disabilities can access services it provides.
“For those high schools that would be physically
inaccessible, if it is requested from us, that
[shadow] support is provided or we can guide
them [administrators] to an organisation that
provides shadows. And we help to pay, not the
entire sum but we assist in the payment,” she
explained.
The JCPD has about 30,000 PWDs in a national
database.

“We have not begun to scratch the surface. We
are talking about perhaps persons in deep
rural Jamaica that may not know that they
have something called a disability. There is a
perception that a disability is caused by Obeah
or it’s retribution for something wrong that
family members have done. So, they may not
even be looking at their child or family member
as having a disability that is worth telling [the]
Government about. They are just thinking
that this is a child whom duppy [evil spirit or
ghost] touched and who prayer can restore,”
Hendricks said.
She outlined to Carimac Times that the
Council has created, since last year, a three-year
communication plan, which it will begin to roll
out thi s year. This is being done to allow for
stakeholders and other Jamaicans to become
more sensitised about what is a disability and
informed about who needs to be registered.
“The most important reason is for us to have
the numbers because without the numbers,
we cannot plan for them [PWDs] adequately or
we won’t know that they exist. We have 30,000
in our database so our planning would be for
30,000 ... If we know the numbers, if persons
are registered, then we are able to accurately
provide the information to the different social
sectors in the society,” she reasoned.
In the event of activities such as general elections
that require national participation, the JCPD
also gets involved. But the level of involvement
is dependent on the data available.
“... Election is very much on the horizon ... and if
we don’t know, we can only say to the Electoral
Office of Jamaica (EOJ), make sure your facilities

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