The British Council, with the help of Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in Scotland and Flag Up Scotland Jamaica, will be donating 166 boxes of books in Braille and large print to the Salvation Army School for the Blind and Visually Impaired to mark International Literacy Day 2018 on September 8th. This is the second such donation for this globally-celebrated day, which saw the school receiving 55 boxes of books in 2017.
The school, which celebrates its 91st anniversary in November, is the only one of its kind in Jamaica. The consignment, comprising titles by favourite children’s authors such as JK Rowling and David Walliams, will be donated to the school library for students and staff to read at their leisure.
Sharing details on the activity, British Council Caribbean Media Officer Kiwayne Jacobs, who executed the activity last year, told The Gleaner, “Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) is at the heart of the cultural ambitions in the British Council worldwide. As an international organization, we celebrate globally-recognised days, such as International Literacy Day. Last year, we decided to challenge the notion that people who are blind and visually impaired do not read, because a big part of reading conventionally requires sight. With the help of RNIB, we continue to raise awareness about inclusion and diversity; including in literature; so that disability is not seen as a setback.”
The school’s principal, Iyeke Erharuyi, pointed out the fact that there is limited access to books in alternate formats for the low vision and totally blind child in Jamaica. “We’re very grateful for initiatives such as this. Granting a child with visual impairment the enabling environment means they can break that glass ceiling. We would like to thank the British Council, RNIB and Flag Up Scotland Jamaica for their continued support of our institution.”
