Guidance and Counselling prog. for young persons with disabilities launched
Kaieteur News – The Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities (GCOPD) on Tuesday launched a Guidance and Counselling programme for young persons with disabilities at the Baridi Benab, State House.
Third from right is GCOPD programme coordinator, Ganesh Singh, who is flanked by GCOPD member, Rosmarie Ramitt, and other GCOPD members; First Lady, Arya Ali (is fifth from right); US Ambassador, Sarah-Ann Lynch, and Mikiko Tanaka, UN Resident Coordinator in Guyana (are at far right.)
The GCOPD Guidance and Counselling programme for young persons with disabilities is being piloted with students from the Special Education Needs (SEN) schools, young members of the Disable People Organisations (DPOs) and the orphanages that house young persons with disabilities in Regions Three and Four.
Through the programme, the participants will benefit from job coaching, psychosocial support, career guidance, capacity building, among other areas of support and empowerment. The programme will eventually be expanded to Regions Five, Six and 10.
According to a GCOPD release, the programme is being implemented in partnership with the Office of the First Lady of Guyana. Delivering the feature address and launching the programme was Her Excellency, Arya Ali. In her remarks, the First Lady underscored the importance of mental health during the current pandemic and its impact on persons with disabilities. She also reiterated the need for society to be more accommodating to persons with disabilities.
Providing an overview of the programme was Ganesh Singh, the GCOPD programme coordinator. Singh said that the programme was in the works for over three years but due to the lack of funding, the organisation was unable to start the programme during the previous three years.
Singh thanked the First Lady for supporting the implementation of this important initiative by funding two social workers for a one-year period.
The Ministry of Education’s Special Education Needs (SEN) National Officer, Savvie Hopkinson, who also spoke at the event, highlighted the importance of such a programme to the overall empowerment of young persons with disabilities. Hopkinson welcomed the programme and pledged her department’s support to the implementation of the initiative across the various Regions.
GCOPD noted in the release that its office has recognised the importance of providing guidance and support to young persons with disabilities as they transition into adulthood and enter into the world of work. Further, the organisation noted that it is aware of the limited exposure to guidance and counselling services and empowerment activities that young persons with disabilities experience.
To this end, the organisation has ensured that the empowerment and development of young persons with disabilities was prioritised as one of its core programme areas.
GCOPD is the umbrella body that represents the majority of DPOs from across the country working in the areas of advocacy and capacity building. The DPOs represents all types of disabilities.
