The Maia Chung Autism and Disabilities Foundation Courts and the Jamaica Library Service broaden Autism information access points
Parents of children with Autism who cannot read can now go to the Tom Readcam Library and view local DVDs on Autism as well as overseas instructional DVDs and movies about Autism.
This became possible on May 13 when The Maia Chung Autism and Disabilities Foundation presented the Jamaica Library Service (JLS) with multimedia equipment consisting of a new Flat Screen Television and a new DVD player donated by Courts Jamaica Limited.
According to Managing Director of the Foundation, Maia Chung -" the idea to partner with the public library system came about as I realized that over the two years of our existence many people whom we serve cannot read, the text that are available are very hard to decipher as they are filled with terminology that most of whom we deal with can decipher. Then you have those who cannot even read and this is a greater part of the affected that we had previously know. In other words Autism doesn't just affect college grads with a slight medical knowledge base".
Mrs. Chung-Smith said further that - "the vision is two tiered, those who cannot read can watch - but also many country people have no cable or Internet can access the local information produced by the Foundation to educate about Autism in Jamaica - our people. It will be simple we believe for them to plan from say Mobay a bus trip to the library to spend a Saturday or whichever day is open to learn by seeing how and what this Autism on the Jamaican perspective is - it becomes less abstract and they are more able to cope".
Last year the Foundation approached Courts Jamaica Limited which has been a great supporter of the Autism needs list, since the Foundation started.
The furniture company again stepped up and sanctioned the donation of the equipment which was handed over to the Jamaica Library Service to be placed at the Tom Readcam Branch.
Mrs. Chung-Smith says that the JLS headed by Director General Patricia Roberts has been very receptive to our interventions and very helpful, the Foundation last year made an Autism resources and book solicitation trip to New York , sponsored by Air Jamaica - which yielded quite a few books on Autism - which were donated by the Foundation to the Jamaica Library Service for its Autism reference section.
Based on that trip a collection was mounted and continued upon our team leaving the United States and in July of this year at least another two dozen books should be brought to Jamaica for handover for the Autism reference section of the JLS.
The equipment is free for use but will be prioritized to Autism affected families and disabled persons, but the Foundation hopes that the new generation of nurses, teachers, doctors, and other professionals who will be dealing with an increased Jamaican Autistic population - teachers can plan class trips to educate the new generation so they can watch and learn and grow not only more knowledgeable about Autism.
Mrs. Chung-Smith says this opens a world of possibilities for learning and cooperating with the JLS and Courts is one of the best things that has ever happened to this Foundation, because now we have together created a very accessible access point for Autism knowledge.
We want all who know about this development to tell everyone to go to the Tom Readcam library if they want to learn more as learning about something helps coping.
The handover was carried out by members of the board of Directors of the Foundation Cassius Watson, Alva Belnavis, Devon Fletcher and Kwasi Tinglin to the library officials.
