Chairman's Message

Chairman's Message

Since its establishment in 1938, and subsequent legal incorporation in 1965, the Jamaica Association for the Deaf (JAD) has made great strides in fortifying the quality of life of Jamaicans with hearing disabilities. Seventy years later, we can be proud of our achievements, without being complacent, and ever mindful that we have only just begun our journey of “Promoting Deaf Excellence”.

 
Through its many projects, made possible with the very kind and generous assistance of several funding agencies, the JAD has over the past 70 years achieved its goals, which are:

    * to improve the educational, industrial and social conditions of persons with hearing problems in Jamaica
    * to integrate deaf persons into mainstream society as useful and productive citizens
    * to reduce the handicapping effects of hearing loss
    * prevent the loss of hearing

 
The JAD has implemented 14 major projects over the past five years with the support of voluntary contributions locally and overseas - from government, private sector concerns, and international funding agencies.  

These projects include efforts to:

      (a) Train hearing parents of deaf children to empower them to become partners in their children’s education by enabling them to read to their children using Jamaican Sign Language;

      (b) Improve the literacy skills of a number of young deaf adults to assist them to do well in CXC/GCE exams; 

      (c) Develop language and literacy competency among deaf children,

      (d) to detect hearing loss as early as possible, and

      (e) Provide facilities for the development of these programmes.

This is an ongoing process in which the entire nation must participate, arduously and relentlessly, if the JAD is to realize its vision of “a Jamaica in which Deaf persons are empowered to fully participate in nation building”.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Jamaica Association for the Deaf, I would like to extend our deepest gratitude to our supporters over the past years:  The Government of Jamaica, and in particular, the Ministry of Education; Environmental Foundation of Jamaica (EFJ); The European Community (EC), USAID; CVSS/United Way; PAHO/WHO; N.C.B. Foundation; PIOJ/OAS; HEART Trust/NTA; United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); United National Development Fund (UNDP); Global Deaf Connection; and Florida Association for Volunteer Action in the Caribbean and the Americas (FAVACA).  Without the keen interest and resources from these organizations, we could not have come this far.

We give thanks for the marked strides that JAD has made towards achieving its goals, and as we move forward, we give thanks for having been able to provide 70 years of service to this country.
 

Christopher C. Williams

Chairman of the Executive Board

Jamaica Association for the Deaf