The Universal Service Fund (USF) has

earmarked another $50 million for the implementation of projects to benefit the

special needs community during this financial year.

The entity’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO),

Daniel Dawes, made the disclosure at the commissioning of a Community Access

Point (CAP) at the Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf (CCCD) in St. Andrew

on Tuesday (October 8).

He invited special needs groups to submit

applications for funding to undertake various initiatives.

Dawes said that the USF gives particular

attention to persons with special needs in the design of its programmes, in

keeping with a mandate from the Prime Minister.

 “While we execute projects aimed at assisting

many vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, the young, persons in rural areas

and persons with financial challenges, we pay very keen interest to the special

needs community,” he noted.

“We are guided by the three A’s when we

craft our initiatives – Accessibility, Affordability and Availability. Simply

put, for us to be effective, the projects we design must be easily used by all.

They must be within reach of all, and persons should not be pressed financially

as they seek to benefit,” he noted further.

To date, the USF has invested $50 million

in projects aimed at assisting the special needs community.

Beneficiaries include the University of the

West Indies (UWI) Centre for Disability Studies, the Sir John Golding

Rehabilitation Centre and the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities.

The CAP site at the Caribbean Christian

Centre was established at a cost of approximately $7.6 million and is outfitted

with 15 desktop computers, one Internet broadband server and supporting network

capability, two multipurpose printers and two air-conditioning units.

The USF also installed solar panels to

assist in offsetting the electricity costs of operating the facility.