rishard.khan@guardian.co.tt
Disability does not mean inability and those enrolled in the Goodwill Industries of the West Indies proved just that over the last few days, showcasing their creations during an open house to commemorate World Disability Week.
At 37, Thandi Jones is one such student. Learning to sew and make clothing, she proudly displayed a top she made at the fair.
Her father, Martin Jones, said it was a proud moment for him, especially as his father was a tailor but neither he nor his eight siblings took up the trade.
“Thandi is the one, in the family, who is able to stand proudly and say I could make this thing. You know how that make me feel? That makes me feel like, geez and ages boy, daddy is looking over our shoulders,” he said.
“Goodwill is a blessing for Trinidad and Tobago and it’s a blessing to parents who might believe that there is no hope.”
At the open house, the students showcased their creations in areas like woodworking, fabric construction, jewellery, bookbinding, screen printing, glass etching, baking and music.
“Many people think that because they are differently-abled, they cannot do and we must be very very careful when we say that what it means– because they can do,” the organisation’s CEO Barbara Alleyne said.
In light of this, she called for more respect and opportunities to be given to people living with disabilities.
“Persons with disabilities are just as human as you and I, who we would say don’t have a disability. Give them a fair chance. Accept them for what they can do but do give them distances that you want them to go- that step further,” she said.
“Everybody should respect somebody with a disability, particularly, when they are not begging on the streets and they trying to do something. That alone should make you decide what you are going to do for someone with a disability. Give them the same opportunities that you would give those who took their SEAs and who went to top-line schools. Give them the same opportunity.”
She also called for corporate T&T to get involved with institutions like hers to help fund their efforts to educate and assist those with disabilities.