By Sharmain GraingerNot only is being blind a condition that attracts some amount of stigma and discrimination, but President of the Guyana Society for the Blind, Mr Cecil Morris,[url=http://www.wholesalejerseyssale.us@#$%&/]China NFL Jerseys[/url], is of the firm opinion that ignorance about the condition has in someThe 44 High Street Office of the Guyana Society for the Blindinstances resulted in some visually impaired persons being taken advantage of.?Probably lots of the people who take advantage of persons who have lost their sight don?t even realise that they are taking advantage of them. They think that they are helping them, but really they are not,? Morris asserted.He related a quite common anecdote to justify his belief. ?I am here and I am going to do something and somebody say ?man don?t do it,[url=http://www.cheapjerseysshare.us@#$%&/]NFL Jerseys Authentic[/url], remember that you?re blind?…You don?t have to remind me that I?m blind! I know that I am blind!?It is Morris? view that instead of discouraging the visually impaired, attempts should instead be made to be supportive.?See what I am going to do and perhaps assist me; not do it for me, because you are not going to be there all the time…as the Chinese proverb says ?don?t give a man a fish, teach him to fish,? said Morris as he emphasised the need for society to modify its view of visually impaired and blind people.For this reason, he amplified the need for countrywide outreaches aimed at raising awareness aboutGanesh Singhsuch issues. He noted that while the media has been playing a commendable role in this regard, there is need for the Society to take action on its own behalf.Outreach efforts, according to Morris, will help to inform persons that there is hope after becoming visually impaired or even blind.?What we have is a situation of persons losing their sight and not wanting to accept that their sight is really gone, so there is need to interact with those persons and get them more au fait with what blind people can do and what can be done for them so that they can make a meaningful contribution to the society that we live in,[url=http://www.wholesalenfljerseyssale.us@#$%&/]Cheap NFL Jerseys[/url],? Morris said.Thirty-one-year-old Ganesh Singh, an Executive Member of the Society for the Blind, understands all too well the transition from having sight to being completely sightless.He remembered he was just 17 years old when he lost his sight. His interactions with young people at the Society recognised that having CXC subjects were an important asset. Driven by a passion to address the evident shortcoming, Singh started to conceptualise a plan.?Working in the disability movement since 2006,[url=http://www.cheapjerseysauthenticonline.us@#$%&/]Jerseys China Wholesale[/url], I worked with a number of young persons who were blind and visually impaired and I saw the potential, but some of them didn?t have the opportunity. Some of them went to school, but the teachers, because of the lack of skills to teach these persons, the lack of innovation and ofCecil Morriscourse the lack of interest, these children just went through the paces and they came out without any qualifications,? Singh recounted.His ambitious plan was engaged in January 2013 with the implementation of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) curriculum for persons who are blind and visually impaired. The programme, he disclosed, was born out of the One Laptop per Family (OLPF) Programme. Through this programme, which was introduced by the former ruling administration, Singh, in 2012, was able to teach a number of visually impaired young people computer skills using special software.The intent of this programme, he disclosed, was to help harness the potential of visually impaired young people with the aid of technology.Incorporating the principles of that programme into the one offered by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), Singh said that the initiative took off with 12 young people on board. Ten of them were able to write the May/June CSEC examinations last year and according to Singh, when the results came out, the Blind Society recorded an 82.2 per cent pass rate in five subject areas.The top student ? Rosemary Ramit ? secured five grade one passes; following her in terms of performance was Odessa Blair who achieved five grade two passes.The second batch of students, who wrote CSEC this year, will know their fate in a matter of months. Singh is optimistic that the results will again be laudable.?It has been a very successful programme and it is something that brings a lot of satisfaction to us to see the success of these people, because looking at the situation of persons with disabilities, moreso persons who are blind in Guyana, little existed for them to have some upward mobility, academically, and now with this programme they can get CXCs and that can push them further into tertiary level education.?Currently Ramit is furthering her studies at the Cyril Potter College of Education, while Blair and another candidate of the programme are attending the University of Guyana (UG).Singh is hopeful that another five will be accepted into UG in September.?It shows that once given an opportunity,[url=http://www.chinanfljerseysauthentic.us@#$%&/]Cheap NFL Jerseys China[/url], persons can really excel,? Singh asserted as he acknowledged that while there are challenges associated with offering the programme, the teachers are able to make the outcome a success.In addition to Singh teaching Social Studies and Office Administration, there is Ms Mayanna Francis teaching Human and Social Biology. Francis, a Jamaican National, is the holder of a Bachelor?s degree in Psychology, and is currently pursuing a degree in Optometry. Also teaching English and Principles of Business is Ms Vanessa Lowchee.?Persons are pretty much competent in the various skill areas and the teachers are very open-minded to learn how to teach each individual, and now I think we are all pretty good in delivering the curriculum effectively to persons who are blind,? Singh said.He emphasised that the task is not limited to merely teaching, as there is also need for a great deal of empowerment, capacity and self-confidence building and motivational sessions. This,[url=http://www.wholesalenfljerseyssale.us@#$%&/]Wholesale Jerseys[/url], he said, is particularly important because ?some of these persons are coming from a very low level of self confidence…so we have to let them understand that they have it within them… the power to excel and do well.?The Blind Society is currently calling on new applicants to pursue CSEC classes set to commence on Monday. Visually impaired persons who desire to be a part of the programme can do so by visiting the 44 High Street Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown office of the Blind Society, between the 08:00 hours and 17:00hrs (8am and 5 pm) or calling on telephone numbers 226-4496 or 231-7976 for assistance.