200 learners with disabilities in rehabilitation centers across Guyana will benefit from a new aquatic therapy pool under construction at the Regional Special Education Needs and Disability Diagnosis and Treatment Center.
The center is located at the Cyril Potter College of Education on the east coast of Demerara.
A lawn mowing ceremony for the construction of the center was held on Tuesday.
The initiative adds to the concept of related services needed to assist learners with disabilities with their daily life skills, said Keon Cheong, Assistant Chief Education Officer for Special Education Needs.
Aquatic therapy benefits learners with sensory coordination problems and provides opportunities for social interaction for learners on the spectrum. It also helps develop hand-eye coordination, muscle strength, balance and posture.
Beneficiaries come from the Blind and Blind Unit, David Rhodes Special School, Betterver Wagting Quamina Special Unit, Diamond Special School, 8th Special School, and Diagnostic Treatment Center.
Speaking at the lawn mowing ceremony, Education Minister Priya Manikchand said the government believes there is a lot to be done in the area of supporting learners with disabilities.
“I want to say to the parents of children with special needs, we are not forgetting you,” she said, helping children with disabilities become self-sufficient and productive adults. pledged to express the government’s opinion to help
The initiative is funded by Trinidadian businessman Teddy Mohammed, owner of Caribbean Educational Publishers, which has been doing business in Guyana since the 1980s.
