“Disability Sixes” emerge winners of GCOPD/ExxonMobil Dominoes competition

Recently, the Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities (GCOPD), with support from ExxonMobil Guyana, hosted a dominoes competition for persons who are blind and those with physical disabilities. The event took place at the headquarters of the Guyana Society for the Blind, 44 High Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown.

Organised through the GCOPD ExxonMobil Guyana-funded Orientation and Mobility programme for persons who are blind or visually impaired, the competition aimed to promote disability inclusion in sports while creating an environment for social interaction among programme beneficiaries.
The participating teams included the “Cane Raiders” from the Guyana Society for the Blind, “Blind Sixes” from the Guyana Blind Cricket Association (GUYBCA) and the “Disability Sixes”, a team of persons with physical disabilities. The three teams engaged in six intense rounds of dominoes, with all players living with disabilities.
After a competitive tournament, the “Disability Sixes” team emerged victorious with a total of 49 games. The “Cane Raiders” followed closely with 45 games, and the “Blind Sixes” were last with 41 games. Notably, Silas Rogers, from the “Blind Raiders” and who is blind, copped the most games, a total of 12 individually won games.
The winning team was awarded a trophy and cash prize, while Silas Rogers also received a trophy and cash prize for winning the most games. All prizes were donated by GCOPD.
During the prize-giving ceremony, Ganesh Singh, Programme Manager of GCOPD, thanked the players for their enthusiastic participation in the highly competitive dominoes tournament and pledged the organisation’s continued support for similar competitions that promote disability inclusion in sports. He also highlighted the opportunities for social interactions provided by events like the dominoes competition.
The GCOPD’s Orientation and Mobility programme, which launched in 2022 with funding from ExxonMobil Guyana, is a transformative initiative. The programme provides training to persons who are blind and visually impaired across Guyana to facilitate their independence. Training areas include the use of the “white cane”, using computers and mobile phones with screen readers, navigating public spaces, and completing simple household tasks independently, among other training areas.