{"id":55,"date":"2009-10-14T20:11:28","date_gmt":"2009-10-14T20:11:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.eyecarecaribbean.com\/site\/eyecarecaribbean\/2009\/10\/14\/features-3\/"},"modified":"2009-10-14T20:11:28","modified_gmt":"2009-10-14T20:11:28","slug":"features-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eyecarecaribbean.com\/site\/ecc\/notable-accomplishments\/features-3\/","title":{"rendered":"From Special Schools to mainstreaming – The Caribbean Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

 Over the past twenty (20) years, we: established or improved ten (10) National Education Programs for children with blindness or visual impairment; trained more than fifty-five (55) Teachers to work with the children and facilitated the graduation of more than four hundred and fifty (450) children from our Partner Inclusive Education Programs.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

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FROM SPECIAL SCHOOLS TO MAINSTREAMING –<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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THE CARIBBEAN EXPERIENCE<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Arvel Grant, Chief Executive Officer, Caribbean Council for the Blind.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Context: Caribbean Area:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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\"Caribbean<\/span><\/div>\n
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Countries: <\/span><\/div>\n

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Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and The Grenadines and Trinidad & Tobago.<\/span><\/div>\n

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Population: 15,319,362 (est. 2009 – CIA World Factbook).<\/span>   <\/div>\n

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Languages: English and French<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
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CCB:               Established in 1967 by Sir John Wilson (Royal Commonwealth <\/span><\/div>\n
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                <\/span>Society for the Blind (RCSB);<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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                      Most Caribbean Countries are members (except Cuba and the <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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                      Dominican Republic (DR);<\/span><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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  <\/span>Supported by Sightsavers International (SSI) since 1967;<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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                      Key Programme Areas: Eye Care, Education, Community-based     <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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                      Rehabilitation (Adjustment to Blindness), Advocacy and Resource <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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                      Mobilisation.              <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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1. How did we achieve integrated education or mainstreaming)? <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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1.1 Between the late 1950s and the late 1970s there were three (3) Institutions which provided education for children with blindness or visual impairment:<\/span><\/div>\n

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  • The Salvation Army operated School in Commonwealth of The Bahamas;<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  •  <\/span>Another Salvation Army operated School in Kingston Jamaica;<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  •  <\/span>A State-funded School for Blind Children in Trinidad & Tobago;<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • Both the Jamaica and Trinidad Schools encouraged selective integration of children who were seen to be academically superior to their peers at the Schools for the Blind. (The intention – to help advance the image of the “Mother School” while giving the students a shot at a “normal” education).<\/span> <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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    1.2 In 1978, CCB developed and printed a Ten-year Program Plan, which included strong a focus on the establishment of National Education Programs for Children with Blindness and Visual Impairment in all countries of the English-speaking Caribbean. <\/span><\/div>\n

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    1.3 Based on that Program Guide, the CCB began a sustained program of advocacy with Ministries of Education across the Region, to have Governments establish Unit Classes or Resource Rooms to support children who were blind or visually impaired, and attending mainstreamed schools. Unit Classes\/Resource Rooms \u2013 Special Classrooms where children who are blind go for special education needs while attending all other classes with their sighted peers.<\/span><\/div>\n

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    1.4. Guyana became the first target: A mainstream Teacher, Mrs. Daphne Franklin, was sent (with sponsorship of CCB and RCSB) to Birmingham to undertake studies in an Under-Graduate Course to start an education program for children with blindness in Guyana. Mrs. Franklin returned, was employed by the MOE, which also provided physical space at the St. Rose\u2019s High School, where a Resource Room was established. Children with blindness or visual impairment were educated with their sighted peers, with Mrs. Franklin serving as a Support\/Resource Teacher for the special education needs of those students attending several schools in the area.<\/span><\/div>\n

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    1.5 By the mid-1980s similar programs were established in Belize, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Lucia, Grenada, and St. Vincent and The Grenadines.<\/span><\/div>\n

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    1.6 Because of the lack of trained Teachers of the VI, the CCB embarked on a twin-track initiative:<\/span><\/div>\n

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    \u00d8      <\/span>Starting in the mid-eighties the Council (with financial assistance from RCSB and much technical assistance from Helen Keller International (HKI), Perkins School for the Blind and Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), implemented a series of Summer Courses, to which all Teachers working with children with blindness or visual impairment were invited. The Teachers selected for the Summer Courses were drawn from a mix of Schools.<\/span><\/div>\n

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    \u00d8      <\/span>Track 2 featured a sustained program of advocacy targeting the Mico Teachers College, Jamaica, the University of the West Indies and National MOEs, pushing for the establishment of a Regional Training Program for Teachers of children with blindness and visual impairment. The focus was on the establishment of Diploma in the Education of the Visually Impaired, as part of a cluster of Diplomas for Special Education Teachers.<\/span><\/div>\n

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    1.7 By 1987, after more than four (4) years of sustained advocacy, the “dam broke”.<\/span><\/div>\n

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    \u00d8     <\/span>CCB, HKI and RCSB partnered to scholarship Celene Gyles to read for a Masters in Special Education at Columbia University, NY.<\/span><\/div>\n

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    \u00d8     <\/span>Celene performed as advertised and returned to launch the Regional Course in 1988 – [Diploma in Special Education] \u2013 a Course in Special Education delivered by Mico Teachers College, now Mico University College, which provides Teachers with knowledge to teach children who are challenged in one or more of the following ways \u2013 Hearing Impaired, Visually Impaired, Mentally Challenged or Learning Disabled.<\/span><\/div>\n

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    \u00d8     <\/span>To-date, the Course has trained and graduated more than fifty-five (55) Teachers at a two-year post-basic Diploma level.<\/span><\/div>\n

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    \u00d8     <\/span>The Program is now evolving to offer First Degree and Post-Graduate Options.<\/span><\/div>\n

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    \u00d8     <\/span>Except in the case of Guyana, the brain drain has not affected the deve<\/span>lopment of the National Programs significantly.
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    1.8 By the early nineties, CCB and RCSB partnered to roll out the Regional Braille and Large Print Service (branded as Cable Print). The Service provided materials in Braille, Large Print and   Tactile Graphics for children (with blindness or visual impairment) and attending Educational Institutions.<\/span><\/div>\n

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    1.9 After five (5) years of facilitating training of Braille and Large Print Workers for National Programs, CCB handed over specialized production of materials to various National Entities.<\/span><\/div>\n

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    1.10 In order to eliminate the long-standing problem of broken or malfunctioning equipment, CCB established and still maintains a Regional Maintenance Program for Specialized Educational Equipment and Systems. <\/span><\/div>\n

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    2.  Who opposed the establishment of the Regional Training Program for Teachers of Children with Visual Impairment? <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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    2.1 The strongest opposition came from The Salvation Army which was reluctant to employ Teachers who did not fit its criteria of good Christian role models. We resisted that approach vigorously and eventually prevailed, as they began to recruit Teachers from the Program. <\/span><\/div>\n

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    2.2 Several MOEs were reluctant to nominate candidates to the Program and to establish Unit Classes or Resource Units, in the beginning, but several of their Education Acts required that all children between ages five (5) and fifteen (15) should receive a formal education. We always reverted to their own Laws to advance our arguments. Where no Laws existed we used the fact that similar programs existed in this or that country.<\/span><\/div>\n

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    2.3 The biggest difficulty was finding physical space for Unit Classes or Resource Units. In most instances, we literally had to visit different schools with MOE Officials and propose adjustments to existing areas to make them suitable. <\/span><\/div>\n

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    3.  How did you bring opponents on board?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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    3.1 The Salvation Army in The Bahamas and Jamaica became more comfortable once they realized that some of their existing Teachers were eligible for training, because they already had basic Teacher Education Certificates<\/span><\/div>\n

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    3.2 Ministries of Education (MOEs) were persuaded once they realized that CCB\/SSI would be providing scholarships to their Teachers and equipping the Unit Class or Resource Room, if they agreed to employ the Teachers upon completion of their training and provide physical space to support their work.<\/span>  <\/span><\/div>\n

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    3.3 The University of the West Indies was not really an agent of opposition. It was an obstacle because of how bureaucratic and outmoded its decision-making process was at the time.<\/span> <\/p>\n
    I found myself traveling between the three (3) Campuses (Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad) to lobby directly with the respective Campuses, to be sure that once the Course was approved in one place, there would be no difficulties in relation to recognition by the other Campuses.<\/span><\/div>\n
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     <\/span>4.  What have been the results?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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    4.1 Consolidation of National Education Programs for children with blindness and visual impairments in ten countries. A new Program is just being established in Dominica and explorations are taking place in St. Kitts\/Nevis.<\/span><\/div>\n

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    \u00d8      <\/span>Training, certification and deployment of fifty-five (55) Teachers of children with visual impairments. (We have lost some to the brain drain; however, most are still in place). These Teachers may be found in Special Schools, Primary and Secondary Schools serving children with blindness or visual impairment.<\/span><\/div>\n

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    \u00d8    <\/span><\/span>Education of four hundred and fifty (450) children with blindness or visual impairment over the past fifteen (15) years in a range of educational environments with resource support from Graduates of the Regional Training Program.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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    \u00d8       <\/span>Establishment of a methodology for negotiating with Tertiary Institutions [Colleges and Universities] in the development and implementation of Programs relating to: V2020 -The Right to Sight; Education of Children with Blindness and Visual Impairment; Adjustment to Blindness and Low Vision Services for Adults; and Counselling.<\/span><\/div>\n

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    \u00d8       <\/span>Transfer of production from a Regional Centre to various National Programs of techniques re: production of Braille, Large Print and Tactile Graphics\/Materials.<\/span><\/div>\n

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    \u00d8       <\/span>Establishment of a Regional Service for the maintenance of specialized equipment, used in the education of children with blindness or visual impairments.
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    \u00d8       <\/span>Creation of a Professional Cadre of Teachers, from which to introduce the next level of post-graduate qualifications. This is most important, since that will produce the technical basis on which to develop strong National and Sub-Regional Training Programs.<\/span><\/div>\n

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    4.2 We need to pay more attention to quality assurance issues (equitable access by children who are blind or visually impaired) in all our National Programs, while expanding our offerings re: children with low vision. <\/span><\/div>\n

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    4.3 Even though we have done much, a recent evaluation of our Education Programs in: Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica found that more than 60% of children with blindness or visual impairment are not receiving formal education services. <\/span><\/div>\n

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    5. How much did it cost?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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    5.1 <\/span>Training and development of a Faculty:                                                      $150,000<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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    5.2 Training of 55 Teachers at about US$10,000 per capita:                            $550,000<\/span><\/div>\n

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    5.3 Establishment of a Regional Braille and Large Print Service:                       $800,000<\/span><\/div>\n

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    5.4 <\/span>Regional Maintenance Service: US$40,000.00 p.a. x 15 years:                   $600,000<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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    5.5 Start-up equipment for Resource Units: US$5,000 x 10 Centres:                $050,000<\/span><\/div>\n

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    Total    (All figures approximate\/estimates):                                                     $2,150,000 <\/span><\/div>\n
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    6. Incalculable:<\/span><\/div>\n

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    \u00d8      <\/span>Advocacy time and support<\/span><\/div>\n

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    \u00d8      <\/span>Consultations by Professors who helped develop the Course<\/span><\/div>\n

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    \u00d8      <\/span>Salaries for Teachers who are all being paid by National Governments<\/span><\/div>\n

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    \u00d8      <\/span>Physical space and recurrent inputs by MOEs<\/span><\/div>\n

    <\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

     Over the past twenty (20) years, we: established or improved ten (10) National Education Programs for children with blindness or visual impairment; trained more than fifty-five (55) Teachers to work with the children and facilitated the graduation of more than four hundred and fifty (450) children from our Partner Inclusive Education Programs.   FROM SPECIAL SCHOOLS TO MAINSTREAMING –   THE CARIBBEAN EXPERIENCE   Arvel Grant, Chief Executive Officer, Caribbean Council for the Blind.    Context: Caribbean Area:     Countries:   Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts-Nevis, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-notable-accomplishments"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecarecaribbean.com\/site\/ecc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecarecaribbean.com\/site\/ecc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecarecaribbean.com\/site\/ecc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecarecaribbean.com\/site\/ecc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecarecaribbean.com\/site\/ecc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecarecaribbean.com\/site\/ecc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecarecaribbean.com\/site\/ecc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecarecaribbean.com\/site\/ecc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecarecaribbean.com\/site\/ecc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}