The Caribbean Digital Transformation Project, with funding support from the World Bank, moved a step closer to reducing the digital divide for clients of the St. Lucia Blind Welfare Association (SLBWA). Project Coordinator of the Caribbean Digital Transformation Project, Francillia Solomon this week launched a two-week digital literacy-training programme for blind and low vision clients of the SLBWA. Digital literacy opens doors for the marginalized and at-risk, by bridging the gap between opportunity, knowledge, innovation, and economic growth.
“We have the differently abled a large section of our population. We hope to equip them with the tools to access these services, as we know some of them have physical and other disabilities. It is our hope that the provision of digital literacy training starting with the St. Lucia Blind Welfare Association will go a very long way in enabling as far and wide members of the population to access this training.”
The Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC) has collaborated with the Caribbean Digital Transformation Project in the digital literacy component of the project. Tanya Warner is the Acting Dean of Academic Partnerships and Internationalization at the SALCC.
“The Sir Arthur Lewis Community College is thankful to the Caribbean Digital Transformation Project to be able to be here to work with the Blind Welfare Association to engage in this training to provide a certificate in digital literacy for the children and the teenagers here today. We are hoping this training exercise is going to give you an excellent foundation as you pursue your studies at school and we’re hoping that it helps you to excel, do the research that you need to do be able to navigate the software and the internet so that you can get information with your assignments, etc.”
Saint Lucia has ratified conventions such as the rights of persons with disabilities and the Marrakesh Treaty, which facilitate access to published works for persons who are blind and visually impaired. Anthony Avril is the Executive Director at the SLBWA.
“Technology is transforming the landscape for people living with blindness and vision loss. It is enabling us to access much larger volumes of information not only accessing it but being able to fit ourselves in the society because inclusion is the number one goal for the association. We do not ask only for the goods of society but we want opportunities to be able to contribute to the continuing development of our society.”
It was indeed a proud moment for the SLBWA as one of its Vision Education Support Teachers, Jessica Jacobie was selected to facilitate this training programme.
“As the facilitator, as someone who is blind, it makes me feel very humbled because growing up as a student I was not exposed very early to what our students are being exposed to and I am happy to be the one to facilitate the programme. We talk about digital literacy and a lot of times our students are quote and quote marginalized because they do not have the necessary facilities or necessary devices and assistive technology to use. And so teaching them the skill that they will be learning over the next two weeks will put them in a better place to be able to navigate throughout their education. I am hoping that it will not end at secondary school but go further as well as in the world of employment out there.”
The Caribbean Digital Transformation Project aims to provide digital literacy training to over 3,500 Saint Lucians before the end of the project in 2026. Earlier this month local vendors were the beneficiary of digital literacy training.