Sat | Nov 30, 2024

Jamaica Society For the Blind equipped with special computers

Published:Wednesday | October 24, 2018 | 12:00 AM
Contributed
Gavin Plowright (second left), IT support officer at Food For The Poor Jamaica, explains the computing X-series Zero Client Virtual Desktop capabilities to (from left) Catherine Goodall, director of project development at Food For The Poor Jamaica; Daemion McLean, chairman of the Jamaica Society for the Blind (JSB); and Conrad Harris, JSB executive director, ahead of the presentation by Running Events Jamaica and Food For The Poor of 24 HP personal computers, specially equipped with the non-visual desktop access software to the JSB recently.

Committing to support the Jamaica Society for the Blind (JSB) at a recent road race, organisers at Running Events Jamaica delivered on their promise, donating 24 HP personal computers to the society, specially equipped with non-visual desktop access (NVDA) software.

Collaborating with Food For The Poor, Alfred 'Frano' Francis, director of Running Events Jamaica, said their main drive at any event is to give back to the less fortunate.

 

LOVE OF ROAD RUNNING

 

"At Running Events, we love road running; but we love road running especially when it comes to raising funds for worthy causes, it is so much more fulfilling. We are happy to be a part of this God-blessed initiative, as we are now able to recognise the effort and the dream of the JSB," he said.

"We will continue to support the JSB and to help raise the profiles and concerns of persons with visual disabilities in Jamaica; and we hope others will be inspired to join us in this effort," said Francis.

NVDA allows blind and vision-impaired individuals to access and interact with the Windows operating system and many third-party applications.

For patron Senator Dr Floyd Morris, the increased access to technology for persons with visual disabilities, provided by this initiative, is key to the development and empowerment of the community.

"The truth is, these technologies are expensive and the ordinary person with a disability cannot independently purchase the computer, much less the necessary software," he said.

"This is also an extremely important gesture, as it constitutes an initiative that is going to empower persons with visual disabilities. I am stressing the whole issue of empowerment because that is what we are about in the community of persons with disabilities," Morris continued.

He added: "We don't want anybody to come and give us any handout that today it will help the individual, but tomorrow we have to come back to you for assistance. We want real, tangible assistance that is going to transform the lives of person with disabilities for a sustainable period of time."