WAYNE Lue is a happier parent today as his son Keefer, who has mild autism, now has access to a model classroom at Liberty Academy.

Lue told the

Jamaica Observer that his son has been attending the institution for three years and the experience has been great, but the space that existed for special needs children was not ideal.

“The building was in need of repairs. No matter how much the bathroom was cleaned, it just didn’t smell or look properly,” Lue lamented.

But now, with the help of Digicel Foundation and the opening of their sixth Centre of Excellence at Liberty on December 3 to mark International Disabilities Day, Lue said that it was heart-warming.

“It feels great going back into a new space specifically tailored for special needs children. They really extended their hands,” he said.

According to Dane Richardson, head of programmes and education at the foundation, prior to the renovation the building was derelict and in need of an overhaul and improvement to make it more disability-inclusive.

The work done included the addition of two new classrooms, making the size of the classes bigger, refurbishing the bathrooms to allow for wheelchair access, as well as access to the building via ramps, the development of a playground, the creation of a gym to help the students with strengthening their motor skills, and restructuring the classrooms to the format of a model school for children with special needs.

Additionally, the floor of the building was redone, the building was rewired electrically, fenced, a new roof put on, and a fire alarm system installed.

At the start of the refurbishment of the building, Liberty boasted an enrolment of over 30 special needs students, with challenges ranging from autism, Down’s syndrome, dyslexia, cerebral palsy, and hearing impairments. However, with the new facilities in place, it is expected that an additional 60 special needs students can be accommodated.

Moreover, Richardson said that while this is the sixth centre and the foundation has broken ground for the ninth one, it is just a drop in the bucket as there are areas locally that are underserved, as well as a general perception that special needs children don’t belong with the general populace.

However, he said that part of the message is to break the stigma, and help parents and society know how to care for these children and be more disability-inclusive.

“How do we help parents to know if their child has a special need and where do they get care in the island? While we have broken ground for our ninth centre, they are all different. Ideally, a child is supposed to go to a school that deals specifically with his or her special need, but we don’t have that type of resource so we will see a range of issues at many organisations or institutions like Liberty, so we build on that,” he said.

“It takes a collective effort as the problems are insurmountable. These organisations and institutions are already doing good work, so we want to help them to do more with what they have and do things even better,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lisa McDaniel, occupational therapist and owner of Therapy Plus, who carries out an extensive training programme alongside the foundation at all of the centres, schools and institutions that work with special needs children, explained that the different areas in the classrooms and building all serve a specific purpose.

“The tables are labelled, so when a child has difficulty communicating they point to things that they want. Is it that you’re thirsty or hungry? So all of the children who don’t communicate or have difficulties communicating are facilitated,” she explained. “There is also the fine motors centre so children who have difficulties using their hands-motor skills can go by their and use the things, which enable them to do the smaller tasks. There is also the quiet corner where they can go and do their reading or relax, and the gym which strengthens their movement.”

But, amidst the fanfare, Lue mentioned that one thing he hopes to see is more inclusion of the special needs children with the other students at the school.

“When the building was being refurbished that was when the real intermingling took place as they has to be housed over on the main campus. My son has mild autism and there are others there with other challenges. So that’s what I want to see; more interaction with the other children, because if the other children don’t have to come over to the centre they really don’t and vice versa. However, going back into a new space really feels good,” he said.