Endless possibilities with Down syndrome project

NARISSA FRASER

A MENTORSHIP programme is providing TT citizens who have Down syndrome with the opportunity to work.

The programme, branded Endless Possibilities, began in 2017 as a partnership between self-advocates of the TT Down Syndrome Family Network (DSFN) and local companies.

The network held its annual family workshop on Saturday at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) in Port of Spain. Honorary board member Lisa Ghany, under the theme Presuming Competence, highlighted the importance of disability etiquette, and reminded citizens not to doubt the ability of people with Down syndrome.

Ghany said the mentorship programme has been a success thus far and that its main objective is to educate employers about down syndrome.

“When people actually get to interact and experience and form a relationship with somebody, then they understand so much better that they’re just like you, they’re just like me. They just may need a special accommodation or something to support them in the workplace,” she said.

She said the DSFN held training sessions with the various employers and their staff members on how to interact with the self-advocates.

“Both the staff and the person are learning. A lot of the staff have never been exposed to a person with a disability and they may have a lot of myths about the disability (down syndrome) and all of this is to try to change people’s perceptions of how they view disabilities,” she said.

Newsday spoke with 26-year-old self-advocate Kellie Simmons at the workshop, who is currently doing a three-month internship, and she explained how her experience has been.

Simmons has been interning at the Central Bank in Port of Spain since April. She works in the human resources department and also does museum tours and administrative work.

She recalled one incident when a deaf person visited the Central Bank Museum and she communicated with them using sign language, which she is versed in. Her internship is scheduled to end on Friday.

Her mother, Cheryl-Ann Simmons, said she is elated and very grateful for the opportunity for her daughter.

“Just within the two and a half months, I’ve seen the maturity, I’ve seen her grow, she is more confident and it is fantastic. One time, the security manager came and asked about how to approach emergencies (with Kellie), whether she can walk downstairs and so on. I just found that they approached it so beautifully.”

She added that she believes the DSFN workshop is a great initiative to educate the population and interact with people with whom she can relate.

“It’s nice to be able to meet and greet other people who have family members with down syndrome. Sometimes you help with a little word of advice, you learn from the others, it’s wonderful,” she said.

Kellie has two brothers and is the eldest. She has a passion for music and plays the piano, pan (tenor and double second) and recently began playing the guitar. She is a member of the Invaders Youth Steel Orchestra which won the 2019 Junior Panorama (21-and-under category). She also represented TT at the 2019 Special Olympics in Abu Dhabi, placing fourth in dressage, English working trails and English equitation.

Many of the internships served by the DSFN self-advocates have led to both contractual and permanent jobs.

Ghany mentioned some of the interns, including 20-year-old Tyrese Niles, who now works full time at Aeropost TT; Kristy deSouza, who is now an OJT at the Office of the Prime Minister, and Surya Hosein, who works at Digicel IMAX.

Ghany says other corporate entities have approached her, including some from Tobago, to come on board for the programme and that she is looking forward to its continuation.