Garcia: Aides for disabled students coming

Chermen Charles-Quinton says her deaf son is unable to learn properly because he has been without an interpreter since the start of the school term. She is pleading with the Government for assistance. In response, Education Minister Anthony Garcia is promising that in a few weeks, there will be a cadre of aides for disabled students, including the deaf.

Charles-Quinton’s son Shadell, 15, is a Form Three student of South East Port of Spain. She said her son had a teacher/interpreter for some years but the teacher resigned during the July/August vacation. When Shadell returned to school on September 6 there was no teacher.

“First day, no teacher. Second day, no teacher. Going to school, no teacher. It is real disturbing and it is hurting my heart,” she cried.

Charles-Quinton told Newsday yesterday that because there is no interpreter for her son, he is lost in class and while he can write information, he does not understand fully what is being taught. She also said he is at the point where he has to choose subjects but he cannot.

“My child is willing to learn. I don’t want him to fall back.” Charles-Quinton said she visited the school, the ministry and the Student Support Services about the issue but Shadell remains without an interpreter. “The Ministry needs to put things in place for deaf children,” she said.

She said her son, who plays basketball and has a brown belt in karate, wants to study abroad because he believes there is nothing in place for deaf children in this country. Charles-Quinton said there is another deaf student at South East who is also without an interpreter.

Newsday was told by an official of the TT Association for the Hearing Impaired that there are five deaf students from Marabella and four from El Dorado West Secondary, all of whom are in need of interpreters.

Garcia, speaking with Newsday via telephone, said that recently the ministry advertised for a number of positions in the Student Support Support Services including positions for 68 aides. He said the aides will assist students with disabilities namely sight, hearing or physical. He said they are looking at responses and will conduct interviews shortly.

Garcia also reported that they are working with the On the Job Training programme and will be recruiting and training people to deal with students with minor disabilities. “In a few weeks time we will have a cadre of persons in schools to assist persons of disabilities,” he assured.

Asked to respond to the plan outlined by the minister, Charles-Quinton said she hopes everything works out with the plan so her son can get an aide.