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PM Christie, Griffin, Break Ground For Multipurpose Centre for Adults with Disabilities
By Matt Maura, BIS
May 29, 2015 - 12:23:18 PM

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NASSAU, The Bahamas – Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry Gladstone Christie and Minister of Social Services and Community Development the Hon. Melanie Sharon Griffin, ‘broke ground’ for a state-of-the-art, multi-purpose facility for post school-age children with disabilities Thursday, May 28, exactly twenty-four months after a Special Task Force was first appointed to develop the design and programme for the facility.

The post school-age facility will cater to persons with disabilities, particularly those with developmental disabilities. Construction is expected to begin before the final quarter of 2015.

“Our goal is to administer a quality based environment which embraces several core values including treating every person with dignity and respect, the recognition of individual strengths and abilities and supporting persons to reach their maximum potential as contributing and valued members of society,” Mrs. Griffin said.

“I commend all of the members of the Special Task Force for their commitment to this initiative. We have had many spirited discussions as we sought to conceptualize and document what the facility should offer to the group of persons it is intended to serve. This is indeed a wonderful day for the community of persons with disabilities, and in particular, those with developmental disabilities,” Mrs. Griffin added.

The facility will consist of an administrative building, reception area, auditorium, cafeteria, manufacturing area, workshops for horticulture, woodworking and car detailing, a medical centre and pavilion, and an education building with classrooms designed for additional skills and other training opportunities.

Mrs. Griffin said an Implementation Team has been appointed “to drive the process for the construction and completion of the facility” and includes Alan Strachan, Under Secretary, Ministry of Social Services and Community Development; Leila Greene, Consultant, Ministry of Social Services and Community Development; Glenn Major, Project Manager; Timothy Johnson, Senior Architect, Ministry of Works and Urban Development and Elouise Fernander, Senior Quantity Surveyor, Ministry of Works and Urban Development.

The “operation details for service delivery and overall management of the centre are simultaneously being developed by the consultant and project manager” with support from members of the Special Task Force which includes Matt Aubry whom she said “brings over 20 years experience in organizing and implementing services for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities to the table.”

“The team plans to implement pilot programmes to engage parents and organizational partners in the development of various interventions,” Mrs. Griffin said. “Continued training opportunities will be facilitated by the team which is also developing plans for a pilot programme for respite care while construction is underway.”

Minister Griffin said the process towards the construction of the facility began in 2013 following the appointment of the Special Task Force, which comprised representatives from key, government ministries and/or corporations in addition to non-governmental organizations. 

To meet its mandate, members of the Task Force (which worked under the auspices of the Ministry of Social Services and Community Development) embarked on a learning tour of facilities abroad and within The Bahamas.

Less than two months after its appointment, Mrs. Griffin led a delegation on a tour of adult service facilities for persons with developmental disabilities in Florida and New York, United States of America. The Social Services Minister also led a delegation to Cuba to tour facilities there.

“We also visited various local organizations and programmes to determine what was being provided; where the gaps were in services; and to identify suitable partners and opportunities for collaboration,” Mrs. Griffin said.

“These visits included The Hopedale Centre, Stapledon School, Seahorse Institute, Abilities Unlimited, The Training Centre, Blairwood Academy, the Marjorie Davis Institute for Special Education, Every Child Counts (Abaco) and the Beacon School (Grand Bahama).

“I must commend and thank the Life Options and REACH organizations for including the team from the ministry in their previously planned visits to institutions in Florida and New York through Matt Albury and Michael McGinty, who identified and arranged the programmes to be visited in the United States of America.

“Special Thanks are also extended to the Government of the Republic of Cuba and His Excellency Ernesto Soberon Guzman, Cuba’s Ambassador to The Bahamas who immediately and most graciously agreed to the visit to Cuba and made all of the arrangements for meetings with the relevant entities. I also wish to acknowledge the support given to the delegation by Her Excellency Alma Adams, The Bahamas Ambassador to the Republic of Cuba. Those visits proved to be very enriching,” Mrs. Griffin added.

 


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