Visually-impaired persons to benefit from computer skills training

Seeking to bridge the digital divide, particularly among persons living with disabilities, the Office of the Prime Minister on Wednesday launched a computer literacy skills training programme for the visually-impaired.
This three-month-long programme, which aims to expose participants to key basic computer and online tools, is being facilitated through a collaboration between the Office of the Prime Minister’s Industry and Innovation Unit and the Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities.
Utilising the Job Access with Speech (JAWS) Programme designed for visually-impaired persons, training would begin in early July in Regions Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) and Four (Demerara-Mahaica), although persons from other regions would be involved.
Participants would be educated on a number of topics, including keyboard orientation; basics of JAWS settings and specific commands; editing and basic formatting of Microsoft Word documents; basic internet and email use, and use of online meeting platforms.
During the programme’s official launch, Prime Minister Mark Phillips reiterated the Government’s commitment to transforming the lives of Guyanese through information and communication technology (ICT). This is seen as an enabler of employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.
“Through courses like these and the possibilities created, we see, more than ever, the benefits of accessibility. It is not a luxury, but a fundamental human right. We must ensure that our communities’ infrastructures and technologies are designed and implemented with accessibility at the forefront of our planning,” Phillips said, according to a press release.
The Prime Minister, who has oversight of the ICT sector, also emphasised Government’s commitment to the empowerment of persons living with disabilities.
“Our Government is continually working to level the playing field, to ensure that we honour the Convention on the Rights of Persons Living with Disabilities. This includes investments such as developing a Special Needs Centre, launching a Cash Grant Register for differently-abled individuals, and constructing 13 special needs schools.”
Further, the Prime Minister highlighted the need for collaborative efforts between policymakers and stakeholders to promote the full realisation of the rights and overall development of persons with disabilities.
“It is a shared responsibility that rests on Governments, organisations, businesses and communities. We must work together to establish policies and regulations that promote accessibility standards,” PM Phillips has said.
He noted that Guyanese must continue to foster a culture of awareness and sensitivity, where the needs and rights of individuals with disabilities are respected and prioritised.
Just last week, the $73 million Learning Lab, an initiative of the Human Services and Social Security Ministry, was commissioned. The facility is intended to equip persons with disabilities with the requisite technical and vocational skills through free training programmes, in order to allow them to become financially independent.
This Training and Empowerment Centre, located at Mahaica, East Coast Demerara (ECD), is dubbed the first of its kind as it related to facilities aiding persons living with disabilities on this scale.