The recently-established DOVE Centre (Developing Our Vision Educationally) at the Alwyn Allison Richardson Primary School,West End, is a new source of loving care and education for students with disabilities there.
Head of the Centre, Mrs. Violet Martin, who holds a MA degree in Special Education Needs, from the University of Nottingham, told The Anguillian: “The children at this Centre are those with more profound disabilities. Some of them cannot walk or talk. Normally they would have been at home, but we decided that we needed a Centre to bring them out to be able to socialise with other students. At the same time, they would learn some life and self-help skills and develop their fine and gross motor skills.”
She went on: “We have one child who cannot walk, but cognitively he is capable so he goes into the classroom then comes back to the Centre, where he does exercises and so on to develop his fine and gross motor skills. He is attached to the Centre but is integrated into the mainstream classroom as well.
“The child, who cannot speak, is at the centre all day long. We teach that student sign language, and the Speech Pathologist (Mrs. Cislyn Richardson) also works with him. Right now we are using a visual schedule so the student would know what to do.
“We work with the students, educationally, as far as we can go, but the advantage of their being at this school is THE easy access it provides. We have ramps, wide corridors, and they are able to socialise within the classroom or around the area.”
Mrs. Martin was formerly stationed at the Blossom Centre (run by the Arijah Foundation), in The Quarter, from October 2011 to July 2012 on an attachment by the Ministry of Education. “The Government then decided that since it is supposed to cater for all children regardless of their shortcoming, – decided to set up its own centre,” she stated. “The Blossom Centre is catering to children of an early age, but the DOVE Centre caters for children of primary school age so children from five years can attend.”
At present there are only three children at DOVE where Mrs. Martin carries the title of Centre Manager/Leader, supported by Ms. Celia Connor, the Teaching Assistant. “Because of the nature of the disabilities, we cannot cater to a much larger number of children,” she explained. “If we were to get more human resource assistance (whether voluntary or paid help), we would probably be able to cater for up to five children. Even three children are a handful depending on the nature of their disabilities. Sometimes you have to feed them, help them with personal care. Having three children may seem like a small number but they are not independent so we have to attend to most of their needs.”
The other learning centres attached to schools in Anguilla are located as follows: at the Adrian T. Hazell Primary School which caters to students with moderate learning difficulties; at the Orealia Kelly Primary School which caters to students with severe learning difficulties; at The Valley Primary School which looks at students with social, emotional and behavioural problems and learning difficulties; and, referred to earlier, at the Blossom Centre which provides education and therapy to help students to learn to walk and communicate.
