Association formed to cater
to sensory-impaired persons
PHILIPSBURG--The Association Des 5 Sens (Five Senses) was recently formed to teach specialised techniques to persons with sensory impairments and to help them develop their sensory and cognitive perceptions for their personal fulfilment.
There is currently no specialised education on island for persons suffering from visual and auditory impairments.
“The blind or deaf children have no access to an education adapted to their disabilities,” the Association said in a press release.
“Faced with this void, there were only two solutions: to send them hundreds or thousands of kilometres away from home… to be enrolled in specialised classes in France or in Guadeloupe or to send them to local schools accompanied by a caretaker. (Even if) they are integrated into a normal class and are accompanied by their caregiver, this isn’t enough to allow the children to acquire the basics in reading, writing and math,” the Association explained.
The Association added: “We would like to propose a third alternative which can create a specialised educational workshop and creativity workshops for their personal wellbeing. The educational workshop is going to give these children access to methods adapted to their disability, complementary with their schooling within an ordinary class.”
The creativity workshops will be centred on the five senses: art, music, corporal expression, communication, taste and smell.
“Workshops for adults and children will be set up to teach Braille and sign language as a set of courses at different levels. The workshop is opened to anyone wishing to acquire knowledge in these two domains from September 2008.”
The group said it needs to acquire specific equipment such as Braille machine, specialised software, a library books in Braille, sound books and multi media resources to conduct its programme.
Anyone interested in the Association’s activities can contact members at Tel: 0690-77- 50-90 or e-mail: descinqsens@yahoo.fr
