The Digicel Foundation has equipped five special needs schools across the country with technological devices to enhance student and teacher education.
Launched in 2022, the Foundation began with 10 Innovation Labs at special schools across the country.
Equipped with laptops, desktops, virtual reality headsets, and more, the new Innovation Labs at the National Centre for Persons with Disabilities, Palmeras Learning Centre, School For the Blind, the Lady Hochoy Home, and the Princess Elizabeth Home will serve as a hub for students and teachers to learn and teach effectively.
Board Director at the Digicel Foundation, Roger Pedro, said: “This investment into Innovation Labs will not only help improve opportunities for persons with disabilities but will also pave the way for all our nation’s students, regardless of ability, to fully participate in our increasingly digital society.”
Chief Executive Officer of the Digicel Foundation, Penny Gomez, said meeting the needs of each school while delivering initiatives such as these is important.
“Every time we meet with them, we make sure that each school has what they need, so you will find, for instance, that some schools may want a projector versus a smart board. Some of them may require a different kind of assistive technology. But whatever they want, they get, but at the very basic, we make sure that they have their devices, laptops, and desktops and that they have connectivity, and then we add all the other trimmings. So that they can boast and say that they have state-of-the-art technology.”
Principals of the five schools are trained by the Digicel Foundation to use the devices. For the Principals, the implementation of technology in their schools will assist in delivering enhanced education and access to resources for their students.
Principal at the Palmeras Learning Centre, Earline Philips, stated: “Our teachers and students are excited. Technology has the potential to greatly enhance the lives of special needs students by improving accessibility, engagement, and independence.
Principal at the National Centre for Persons with Disabilities, Kahaya Sooklalsingh-Puckerin, added: “In the long term, this initiative will undoubtedly open new doors of opportunities for our students, enabling them to pursue careers in technology, creative fields, and beyond.”
Commemorating World Down Syndrome Day, Ms. Gomez said this launch was instrumental in emphasising the need for inclusion, keeping to this year’s theme, ‘Improving Our Support Systems.’