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Posted: Friday 31 July, 2009 at 12:40 PM

Caribbean Council for the Blind meets in St. Kitts

CCB President Lola Marson
By: Melissa Bryant, SKNVibes
    BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE rights of blind and visually impaired persons will be discussed as the Caribbean Council for the Blind (CCB) meets in St. Kitts for its 42nd Biennial General Meeting.
     
    The CCB is a non-profit entity consisting of 29 member organisations from across the Anglophone and Francophone Caribbean. In addition to providing eye care services throughout the region, it lobbies for the meaningful inclusion of blind persons in society and the ratification by regional governments of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
     
    At a ceremony held at the Marriott Resort and Royal Beach Casino to mark the meeting’s commencement, Rockliffe Bowen, President of the St. Kitts Society for the Blind, expressed his hope that St. Kitts’ hosting of the event would help to raise awareness and compassion of the difficulties facing those with visual impairments. He used his platform to urge local and regional governments to convert the provisions of the UNCRPD into legally binding legislation, something no country in the region has done.
     
    Chief Medical Officer Dr. Patrick Martin gave a brief address outlining the state of ophthalmological care in the Federation, of which the highlight was that close to 5 000 persons receive eye treatment annually from the Miracle Eye service available at the Joseph N. France Hospital. He however noted that three percent of the population suffered from glaucoma, which could lead to eventual blindness.

    According to CCB President Lola Marson, regional statistics are no more comforting. One percent of the Caribbean population is blind while three percent suffers from low vision.

     

    She also highlighted steps her organisation had taken to improve the visual condition of the region’s people.

     

    “Since its inception in 1967, the CCB has provided eye health services to more than one million persons across the Caribbean. In 2003 we launched the first five-year Caribbean Regional Strategic Plan to combat blindness and visual impairments across the region.
     
    “So far, we have implemented national programmes to provide affordable prescription glasses in Guyana and Jamaica, piloted a vision screening programme in Guyanese schools, and submitted a four-year degree in Optometry to be made available to Caribbean students starting in September 2010.”
     
    During the opening ceremony, nine James Alves Awards (founding CBC President) were presented to activists for the rights of blind and visually impaired persons, including Clarice Cotton, Agnes Skerritt and Samuel Hunkins of St. Kitts and Nevis. 
     
    The meeting will conclude on Saturday (Aug 1) with a farewell party for the 100-plus delegates.
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