Disability

Here is a picture of Institute Monfort school for the deaf and blind in Haiti.

Institut Montfort School for the deaf and deaf-blind children in Haiti was founded in 1957 by the Daughters of Wisdom. It is the first school in Haiti specializing in educating children who are deaf and deaf-blind. The institute is comprised of three schools located in three areas: Santo, Croix des Bouquets (the largest), St. Marc and the third in Lavaud. The school started with a class of seven children now boasts more than 650 students. Many of them reside in the school dormitories because they live too far to travel every day, or they come from families with minimal or no resources. The campus in Port-au-Prince was completely destroyed by the 2010 earthquake, but was rebuilt to a larger and more modern form in Santo, Croix Des Bouquets by World Community. In addition to providing basic education, the institute gives lessons in sports and fine arts, runs a gift shop which sells items made by the children at reasonable prices. The institute operates under the support of a non-profit organization, Friends of Montfort, Inc. whose mission is to provide: encouragement and financial support to deaf and deaf-blind children; scholarships for college-bound deaf high school seniors and facilitate open-heart surgery for needy Haitian children.

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Centre d'Education Speciale (CES) or Centre for Special Education is the only free School for Children With Disabilities in Haiti.

The Centre d'Education Speciale (CES) is a special centre for the education and personal development of children suffering from various disabilities. The centre is situated in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti and is the only free school which focuses on the education of the disabled children. Their main aim is to contribute to the social integration of more than 15000 children with special needs, belonging to a disadvantaged social stratum every year. According to statistical reports, a large fraction of the students with disabilities are unable to afford even basic education in the country because of the high expenses of education. In such a scenario, the CES in a noble as well as novel initiative and it has drawn the attention of filmmaker Lena Jackson, who endeavors to make a film about the centre and its works.

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Signalling an outlook of hope after the devastation caused by the 2010 earthquake, perhaps no group has come further than the soccer team, Zaryen, made up of all-amputee players, a first for Haiti. Showing signs of their success, the team scheduled their first ever tour to the United States, where they will visit New York and Washington D.C., hosting clinics and having matches, demonstrating their skill, perseverance and innovative use of prosthetics.

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