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REVIEW
The St Lucia Association for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (SLADD) is almost entirely responsible for the systemised care and guidance of disabled children in the north of St Lucia. Unfortunately, disabilities are still seen as something of a stigma in St Lucia, so the SLADD was founded to challenge these views and give disabled children a chance to fulfil their potential. The charity acts as an umbrella organisation to allocate the funds it receives to three different outlets.
The first of these is Dunnottar School which provides specialist tuition for children who are mentally and physically challenged. The second is the Child Development and Guidance Center (CDGC) which identifies, assesses and treats children with developmental disabilities. The third is the Dunnottar Vocational Centre (DVC) that looks to develop their clients into self-sufficient persons, aware of their position within the Island and able to find suitable employment.
The Global Movement for Children, launched in St Lucia in 2002 admonishes: ‘Leave No Child Out’ and Prime Minister Anthony declared 2003 ‘The Year of the Child’ but the running of Dunnottar School, CDGC & DVC are certainly not covered by the Government of St. Lucia.
Although most of the staff are paid through the Ministry of Education and SLADD does receive a subvention from the Government, it is not enough to cover all salaries and day to day expenses. This means that the education and guidance of the lucky ones that are able to attend the School, DVC or CDGC, is mainly funded by SLADD. Currently SLADD is not able to fund the running of CDGC which is done solely through donations from the German Villa Kunterbundt Charity organization and local donations.
‘Children are our tomorrow, and must be given the chance to fulfil their potential, no matter how difficult it is to realise.’
Please see below for Ways to Donate to SLADD. You may also contact the charity via the telephone link above or go to the CDGC website. |
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Ways to Donate
Ad hoc donations are immensely valuable as they allow SLADD to build up a pool of resources for specific projects. And, should an emergency arise there would hopefully always be a fund to tap into. Please GIVE GENEROUSLY TO:
First Caribbean International Bank
Bridge Street
PO Box 335/336
Castries, St. Lucia
Account name: SLADD
Account number: 106389176
Phone: (758) 456 1000
USD50/GBP25 would provide 1/3 of the monthly salary for a classroom assistant or teacher's aid. Some of the classes at Dunnottar require a classroom assistant in order to accommodate more children in a class. These salaries are not covered by Government, but would allow for more children could be taken off the waiting list.
However, it is not so much the amount that is important, rather the regularity of it, as planning strategies for a child’s development is clearly much easier when you know how much funding is available!
A Direct Debit allows SLADD to predict what donations are coming in and therefore what projects they can delegate certain funds to in the future.
USD $10/GBP £5 a month would subsidise lunch for one child for a month, allowing a child from an underprivileged family to receive a nutritious meal every day and aid in their enjoyment of class, recreation and development.
So, please use the weblink, telephone number or email address above to contact a member of SLADD or contact the CDGC directly here. |
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History
SLADD, formerly The St. Lucia Association for Retarded Children, was founded in 1973 and opened its Special Education Center in September of that year. In 1975 the school moved to Dunnottar House and Dunnottar School was officially opened in October that year. It caters for 84 students, with 14 teachers and three classroom assistants.
The Child Development and Guidance Center (CDGC) was established in 1998 to provide, through a team of health professionals, previously unavailable multi-disciplinary developmental assessments and treatment for children aged 0 to 16 years. It is a registered non profit organisation run by volunteers.
In March 2005 the CDGC was able to expand into a new building co-located with SLADD, which has allowed for much needed therapy for many children with developmental delays in St Lucia. Having all three outlets on the same compound allows SLADD to share a physiotherapist.
The Dunnottar Vocational Centre (DVC) was opened in July 1981 to cater for older children and young adults who could no longer be housed at Dunnottar School. At present it houses 22 of the 84 students. The school & workshop also have the services of a part time PE teacher, part time music teacher, receptionist, cook and cleaner. |
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Objectives
Dunnottar School – empowering for the future - aims to provide a base platform for the tuition and care of persons with developmental disabilities. The School does this by providing education and skills training for children and young adults with varying disabilities so as to enable them to become as independent as possible. Students are normally referred by the CDGC, and go onto the Vocational Centre where possible.
Dunnottar currently houses 48 students aged between 6 - 16 years. There are also three students integrated into a regular primary school with a special education teacher from Dunnottar School. Common disabilities include; Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Mentally Challenged Children, and various learning Disabilities.
The Child Development and Guidance Centre – moving towards an independent future – provides early health care intervention to assist children in developing to their fullest potential. Most children are being referred by the community paediatrician Dr Bird or the Community Child Health clinics, where nurses provide basic developmental screening for all children in St Lucia.
Problems frequently identified at the CDGC are developmental delays and disabilities, learning disabilities, speech and language disorders, autism spectrum disorders and cerebral palsy.
The Dunnottar Vocational Centre – preparing for the future - aims to provide services for children and young adults with developmental disabilities, which will allow them to build on what they have gained from the School, giving them the opportunity to lead fulfilling and productive lives.
Clients of the Dunnottar Vocational Centre must be between 16 – 25 years old and should have attended the Dunnottar School prior to graduating to the vocational workshop. |
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Programmes
Dunnottar School:
Dunnottar provides skills acquisition in; speech and language, motor coordination, self help, socialisation, cognition and pre-vocational areas. Dance, Music, Art, Drama and Physical Education are integral parts of the curriculum.
SLADD employs a part time music teacher who works with all students. The school band has made great improvement and is regularly asked to perform at community functions. One student, Shervaugn George, has learned to play the Steel Pan extremely well and has been awarded a scholarship to the St Lucia School of Music. (see Case Studies)
Dunnottar has participated in the ‘Artlink’ programme since 2001 - which pairs schools from around the world with schools in the USA. Artwork from each school is submitted to creative connections who select the best pieces for an International Children’s Art Exhibition. In 2006 artwork by Imran Vitalis (aged 14) Leah Emmanuel (aged 12) and Tricia Wells (aged 13) was selected to be shown in the international exhibition. The school is now planning to produce T-shirts showing some of the children’s art work. These will be sold to raise funds for art materials.
Dunnottar also has a part time Physical Education teacher. Each year they have a school sports meet and participate in the Special Schools Sports Meet and The Sports Meet for Regular Schools in their district. In 2006 Football and Volleyball were part of the PE curriculum which were new sports for many of our students.
At the beginning of 2005 the mobile dental unit from the Ministry of Health was housed at Dunnottar school, giving all the students from the School and Vocational Center a thourough check up and aftercare.
The Child Develpoment and Guidance Centre (CDGC):
The CDGC provides comprehensive, ongoing assessment and diagnosis for all children with physical, mental, emotional or behavioural problems in St Lucia. It develops, implements and reviews intervention programs geared to the individual needs of each child. These include Physiotherapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Early Stimulation.
In addition to the treatment for children it provides parental support, counselling and training so that what goes on in a therapy session can be built upon at home, and that the parent recognises the special nature of their child.
The CDGC trains volunteers and other persons in the community, such as Community Health Aides and Pre-School teachers, and provides follow up visits to children with special needs within the community.
In connection with similar organisations on the Island, the CDGC liaises with the St Lucia Blind Welfare Association’s programme for children with multiple disabilities, provides individual reports on each assessment for parents and referring professionals and keeps up-to-date and easily accessible records and statistics for future inspection. |
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Achievements
At the beginning of the 2006 – 2007 academic year Dunnottar School was able to complete one of its long standing plans and opened a sensory integration room. The funding for the renovation and equipment came from the National Community Foundation and the room now caters for 5 students who have a great need for a sensory integration programme. These students will never be able to be self sufficient or get a job and will always need continuous care. One of the main concerns is what happens to these young people when they reach the age of 25 years and have to leave Dunnottar School.
Along with the sensort integration programme, Dunnottar School was also able to expand into the basement and start a daily living skills and socialization / recreational programme. This programme accommodates students who will probably not be able to be employed. These students are taught to be self sufficient in their daily living skills. They also do some horticulture, food preparation and laundry activities.
The CDGC finally has its own building thanks to fund raising and volunteers so can now accommodate more volunteers and see more children for assessment and intervention. |
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Needs
Dunnottar School:
1. A new facility is desperately needed. There is limited wheelchair access and no bathroom facilities on the lower level. There are also over 30 children on the waiting list, whilst others try to survive in the regular school system where they are not receiving the special attention they need.
2. Funds for those that can’t afford to travel in, pay for lunch or buy school uniforms and shoes. Shirlin Raymond is lucky enough to receive EC$100 per month from a local charity “Pawasol pour Ti Mamai” which pays for her transport to and from school. See case studies for more information on Shirlin.
3. More teachers’ aides and Arts and Crafts Materials in order to continue the programme
CDGC:
Full-time Paediatric Speach and Language Therapist and/or Occupational Therapist. Presently St Lucia does not have positions for paediatric therapists and the CDGC relies on visiting therapists to provide the necessary intervention for more than 300 children identified with developmental delays and disabilities. Staff training is vital but not always accessible.
It is interesting to note that though it has been in existence for years, providing services that should fall under St Lucia's health agenda, the CDGC has not received any subventions from the Government up to date, and its Director Dr Brigitte Schüling receives no salary for her services. The future of the Centre remains uncertain until it is recognised as a legitimate part of St Lucia’s health services and as such, receives financial support.
Förderverein Villa Kunterbunt, a fundraising organisation founded in Germany in 1998 and named after a children’s book by Astrid Lindgren, has provided the major financial support for the CDGC in the past. The long term goal is to see the CDGC being run by a well trained St Lucian professional fully supported by the Ministries of Health and Education. |
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Case Studies
Shervaughn George is a personable young man with Asperger’s Syndrome. He is a student at the Vocational Centre and very much enjoys art and music. Shervaugh still attends the St. Lucia School of Music where he learns steel.
Shirlin was first seen at CDGC in 1998 when she attended a summer camp at the age of 10 years old. At that time Shirlin was unable to walk as she was born with only one leg and has mild athetoid cerebral palsy. During that first summer camp Shirlin learned to walk with crutches. With assistance from CDGC Shirlin was able to attend regular school and attended four summer camps. Shirlin left school in 2005 but was not happy at home doing nothing so asked if she could attend the DVC. She started at DVC one day a week in April 2006 and started coming full time in September 2006. Shirlin is able to travel by bus alone (a task learned at one of the CDGC summer camps) despite her disability. One of Shirlins biggest dreams is to be able to get a job. At present Shirlin gets assistance with her bus fare (see Needs) it will be a great shame if she is unable to continue at DVC because of lack of funds.
Prestenn Brown was first assessed at CDGC in July 2002 when he was 3 ½ years old. He attended summer camp in the same year for Speech & Language therapy assessment. At that time he was diagnosed with autism and found communication very challenging (no meaningful speech and very little eye contact). Prestenn benefited from Speech and Language therapy at CDGC whenever a therapist was available and was enrolled at Dunnottar School in September 2005 when he was 6 years 8 months old. When he started school Prestenn was unable to dress or undress himself, was not toilet trained and only ate soft food such as yogurt and was starting to use the picture exchange communication system. Prestenn has now learned to dress himself, he is toilet trained and will eat a variety of foods. Prestenn still finds communication difficult but now makes good eye contact and uses gestures to indicate what he wants. His teachers and parents are still working on communication through pictures. |
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Getting Involved
If you have any of the items on the Wish List, or fancy a secondment to the School (with the necessary qualifications and experience!) please do contact Carolyn Archibald by email at Dunnottar School, who will happily discuss shipping/teaching arrangements.
Volunteer Occupational Therapists and Speech and Language Therapists are very much in demand in St Lucia, but you must have previous paediatric experience and the necessary qualifications. Please contact Dr Schuling by email at the CDGC for further information. |
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This feature page is sponsored by DefinitiveCaribbean. We hope you will give generously to this wonderful charity that does so much to help the less fortunate children of St Lucia. Please remember to mention DefinitiveCaribbean when you contact or deal with the SLADD. Thank you for your interest. |
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_edited_normal.jpg "Dunnottar School, child charity organization")
_edited_normal.jpg "Stimulation at Dunnottar School, SLADD")
_edited_normal.jpg "Children From Dunnottar School Settling Down For Class")
_edited_normal.jpg "Shervaughn recently won a scholarship to the St Lucia School of Music")
