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Jamaica Gleaner News - 'Deaf ears … hearing hearts' - School for the deaf celebrates 50 years - Saturday | February 16, 2008
Try to imagine 50 years ago in Jamaica. To be born with a hearing impairment or to be born deaf was almost the equivalent of being sentenced to a life of poverty, ostracism and a lack of educational opportunity.
Just picture a child faced with these challenges with no institution to cater to such special needs.
It was against this background that in February 1957, two Christian missionaries from Canada, Reverend Willis Ethridge and his wife Mildred, arrived in the island from the Ontario Mission for the Deaf to set up sustainable initiatives geared towards the empowerment of the local deaf community.
They first set out to establish the Christian Deaf Fellowship (CDF) Centre in Kingston. Then in October of that same year, the Canadians were joined by Paula Montgomery, the first deaf American missionary.
Official beginning
By June of 1958, the three missionaries got a one-year lease for Bethel, a property located in Manchester, which was the official beginning of the Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf (CCCD).
It began with eight students and a staff of three and in 1962 the school moved to its present location in Knockpatrick.
By 1967, some 40 students were enrolled. Donville Jones is the managing director of CCCD and he recently shared with JIS, the journey of the 50-year-old institution.
"CCCD was first conceptualised on a front porch; after the school moved from Bethel, it was also temporarily located at Spur Tree before coming to Knockpatrick.
"Over the years up to 1990, we had a single campus and it was at that time that there was an expansion as we started a campus in Montego Bay and by 1994, we took over an old CDF campus in Kingston."
Deaf village
"In 1991, we also started the work on the creation of a deaf village which was opened in 2001. Our view is that the sharing of the gospel has to be done in a holistic way that caters to the needs of real people operating and living in a real world," he said.
Jones stated that in this context, CCCD tries to provide better and higher levels of education and 'hands-on training' for its student population.
"Our students receive HEART Trust/NTA fully certified vocational training. Some of the programmes include food preparation and some of our graduates work in the hotel industry.
We teach woodwork, carving, cosmetology, information technology and garment construction. Our training facility not only serves our enrollees, but also students of the Newport Vocational Centre," said Jones.
Extra-curricular activities are also an important aspect of learning.
"We have a vibrant 4-H Club, the kids are exposed to agricultural science and even welding. We also have a farm where our students cultivate. Over the years, CCCD has done well when we enter competitions like that of the JCDC Culinary Arts where we have got gold, silver and bronze," explained Jones.
What has been quite obvious, much to the pleasure of the CCCD team, is the change in attitude of many parents, as they continue to develop a better understanding about the challenges faced by their offspring and how they are to be treated.
"Parents are now more aware and much more sensitised and I think they are gradually shedding the kind of mentality that results in them literally hiding away their children. The fact that there is a disability does not take away the everyday human feelings and emotions. Just spend the day on any of our campuses and observe them and you will see that they laugh, they cry and later on, they fall in love, marry and have families," said Jones.
There are two distinct groups of children at the CCCD. According to Jones, they accommodate those who are fully deaf and depend on sign language to communicate and those who are hearing impaired and are provided with additional assistance through the use of hearing aids.
Sponsorship
Operating this kind of institution is not without its own set of challenges but with the assistance of special CCCD Outreach Overseas Unit based in the USA, the institution continues to receive different modes of sponsorship.
"Like everyone else, we have to meet our bills and so we keep a tight budget. The fact is that we have American-based board members who are very concerned and through our United States-based representatives, various work teams have visited and rendered voluntary service," said the managing director.
One critical area of need that has been well supported at the international level is in child sponsorship."This, of course, is where the bulk of our support comes from in the United States, we also have some from Cayman, Canada and the United Kingdom, but we are really hoping that many more Jamaicans will get on-board,"said Jones.
ICT certification
JIS caught up with one student who was quite busy in the computer lab. Through sign language, Kerry-Ann Bailey shared her enthusiasm for putting together designs using various software. Having spent more than 12 years at CCCD's Knockpatrick campus, Kerry-Ann has another year to go before she will receive full ICT certification through Heart Trust/NTA.
"Right now I am practising my typing skills. In addition to this, I also like to work with pictures and graphics as well as to make programmes for different events. I like working with Adobe Publisher," she said.
As a career choice, Kerry-Ann wants to continue to work with computers. "Once I graduate, it is my intention to work in my father's photo business. My time here at CCCD has been really good, as I have been afforded the opportunity to make friends and to fellowship and the time spent in the computer lab has enabled me to learn a lot," said an optimistic Kerry-Ann.
Theology degree
Damion Campbell is a graduate and currently a pastor at the deaf village at the New Life Church.
"After leaving the CCCD, I went to Harvest Deaf Bible College in Georgia and got my degree there in Theology. I am thankful because the school provided a good environment for me. I got a very good education as I developed," he shared.
It's been 50 years and "active faith" could be seen as the vehicle that has carried CCCD to this point in time and as a result, the lives of so many vulnerable Jamaicans have been transformed significantly.
And for the next 50 years, there is hope for bigger and better milestones as the institution seeks to remain true to the its motto which incidentally is from Psalm 118 verse 23 … "possessing deaf ears but hearing hearts".
Try to imagine 50 years ago in Jamaica. To be born with a hearing impairment or to be born deaf was almost the equivalent of being sentenced to a life of poverty, ostracism and a lack of educational opportunity.
Just picture a child faced with these challenges with no institution to cater to such special needs.
It was against this background that in February 1957, two Christian missionaries from Canada, Reverend Willis Ethridge and his wife Mildred, arrived in the island from the Ontario Mission for the Deaf to set up sustainable initiatives geared towards the empowerment of the local deaf community.
They first set out to establish the Christian Deaf Fellowship (CDF) Centre in Kingston. Then in October of that same year, the Canadians were joined by Paula Montgomery, the first deaf American missionary.
Official beginning
By June of 1958, the three missionaries got a one-year lease for Bethel, a property located in Manchester, which was the official beginning of the Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf (CCCD).
It began with eight students and a staff of three and in 1962 the school moved to its present location in Knockpatrick.
By 1967, some 40 students were enrolled. Donville Jones is the managing director of CCCD and he recently shared with JIS, the journey of the 50-year-old institution.
"CCCD was first conceptualised on a front porch; after the school moved from Bethel, it was also temporarily located at Spur Tree before coming to Knockpatrick.
"Over the years up to 1990, we had a single campus and it was at that time that there was an expansion as we started a campus in Montego Bay and by 1994, we took over an old CDF campus in Kingston."
Deaf village
"In 1991, we also started the work on the creation of a deaf village which was opened in 2001. Our view is that the sharing of the gospel has to be done in a holistic way that caters to the needs of real people operating and living in a real world," he said.
Jones stated that in this context, CCCD tries to provide better and higher levels of education and 'hands-on training' for its student population.
"Our students receive HEART Trust/NTA fully certified vocational training. Some of the programmes include food preparation and some of our graduates work in the hotel industry.
We teach woodwork, carving, cosmetology, information technology and garment construction. Our training facility not only serves our enrollees, but also students of the Newport Vocational Centre," said Jones.
Extra-curricular activities are also an important aspect of learning.
"We have a vibrant 4-H Club, the kids are exposed to agricultural science and even welding. We also have a farm where our students cultivate. Over the years, CCCD has done well when we enter competitions like that of the JCDC Culinary Arts where we have got gold, silver and bronze," explained Jones.
What has been quite obvious, much to the pleasure of the CCCD team, is the change in attitude of many parents, as they continue to develop a better understanding about the challenges faced by their offspring and how they are to be treated.
"Parents are now more aware and much more sensitised and I think they are gradually shedding the kind of mentality that results in them literally hiding away their children. The fact that there is a disability does not take away the everyday human feelings and emotions. Just spend the day on any of our campuses and observe them and you will see that they laugh, they cry and later on, they fall in love, marry and have families," said Jones.
There are two distinct groups of children at the CCCD. According to Jones, they accommodate those who are fully deaf and depend on sign language to communicate and those who are hearing impaired and are provided with additional assistance through the use of hearing aids.
Sponsorship
Operating this kind of institution is not without its own set of challenges but with the assistance of special CCCD Outreach Overseas Unit based in the USA, the institution continues to receive different modes of sponsorship.
"Like everyone else, we have to meet our bills and so we keep a tight budget. The fact is that we have American-based board members who are very concerned and through our United States-based representatives, various work teams have visited and rendered voluntary service," said the managing director.
One critical area of need that has been well supported at the international level is in child sponsorship."This, of course, is where the bulk of our support comes from in the United States, we also have some from Cayman, Canada and the United Kingdom, but we are really hoping that many more Jamaicans will get on-board,"said Jones.
ICT certification
JIS caught up with one student who was quite busy in the computer lab. Through sign language, Kerry-Ann Bailey shared her enthusiasm for putting together designs using various software. Having spent more than 12 years at CCCD's Knockpatrick campus, Kerry-Ann has another year to go before she will receive full ICT certification through Heart Trust/NTA.
"Right now I am practising my typing skills. In addition to this, I also like to work with pictures and graphics as well as to make programmes for different events. I like working with Adobe Publisher," she said.
As a career choice, Kerry-Ann wants to continue to work with computers. "Once I graduate, it is my intention to work in my father's photo business. My time here at CCCD has been really good, as I have been afforded the opportunity to make friends and to fellowship and the time spent in the computer lab has enabled me to learn a lot," said an optimistic Kerry-Ann.
Theology degree
Damion Campbell is a graduate and currently a pastor at the deaf village at the New Life Church.
"After leaving the CCCD, I went to Harvest Deaf Bible College in Georgia and got my degree there in Theology. I am thankful because the school provided a good environment for me. I got a very good education as I developed," he shared.
It's been 50 years and "active faith" could be seen as the vehicle that has carried CCCD to this point in time and as a result, the lives of so many vulnerable Jamaicans have been transformed significantly.
And for the next 50 years, there is hope for bigger and better milestones as the institution seeks to remain true to the its motto which incidentally is from Psalm 118 verse 23 … "possessing deaf ears but hearing hearts".