The successfully-run D.O.V.E. Centre, a facility at the Alwyn A. Richardson Primary School at West End, for challenged children island-wide, is fast outgrowing its capacity and there is a need for a second such facility – D.O.V.E 2 (The acronym Developing Our Vision for Education).
That’s the view of Mrs Violet Martin, Lead Teacher at the Centre which was established in September 2012 with three children, but was officially opened in March 2013. It now has six children and two others are expected shortly.
“It is challenging, but we love our job,” Mrs Martin, who is assisted by three other teachers, said. (An additional two teachers will be joining the Centre shortly). “Some of the children need assistance with feeding, changing, walking – the basic things that normal children would do. We are actually teaching them to be independent, and some of the other challenges include the fact that we do not have all the necessary equipment. For instance, we need a special wheelchair for one child and other equipment to build the gross motor skills. So equipment is one of our big needs now, so we are looking to source it and for donors to assist us with these important pieces of equipment.
As indicated above, there is an even bigger need. “The children are stationed here until they are twelve years old, and we now need another Centre, like D.O.V.E. 2,” Mrs Martin stated. “We are now working on D.O.V.E. 2 to cater for students twelve years and over – so that when the present students would have made twelve, they could go over to D.O.V.E. 2 to extend their life skills and learn some kind of vocational skills. Some of the students are soon to be reaching that age and so we need that Centre as soon as possible.”
According to her, the Ministry and the Department of Education are discussing a second facility. “We are hoping to have D.O.V.E. 2 in the near future although we don’t know where to locate it, but we would like both Centres to be located close together so that management could oversee them properly,” she continued.
Suppose that second facility does not materialise anytime soon, as expected – what then? Mrs Martin was asked. “Well, the children will have to stay here until we get D.O.V.E. 2 operational, and we will not be able to take in any new students,” she replied.
