|Racquel McKenzie

The Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf (CCCD) Work Force Development Training for Deaf Adults in Jamaica has proposed a six-month social risk management strategy geared towards behaviour change of deaf adults.

This initiative as described by Social Enterprise Officer for the Community empowerment and transformation project II John Meeks pointed out that this project came out of a need to address the stigma attached to members of the deaf community as well as to equip them with skillful employment.

“The project geared towards improving the employability, workforce and productive capacity of 30 deaf adults, thereby improving their efficiency and effectiveness on the job and employment prospects in the work environment (deaf or hearing).”

He further noted that after graduating from high school deaf individuals struggle to find employment and as a result of this they fail to meet their basic needs.

“Employers in the hearing community are challenged, in that they do not have or make available the time or resources needed to effectively communicate with, understand and consequently employ deaf persons. No job means any money, and no money means that, despite their education and potential, the deaf graduates cannot meet their basic needs.”

The project is therefore geared towards improving the employability, workforce and productive capacity of 30 deaf adults, thereby improving their efficiency and effectiveness on the job and employment prospects in the work environment (deaf or hearing).

Additionally, The project, to be implemented over six months at the Jamaica Deaf Village -Manchester will include workshops, training sessions and field visits that will immerse participants in situational context and theoretical concepts designed to facilitate positive behaviour outcomes which will create positive impacts in the work environment and improve participants employment prospects and thereby reduce their vulnerabilities to unemployment and its associated socioeconomic ills.

The project also seeks to build the capacity of targeted deaf adults with work ethics, communication and personal development challenges to improve and increase their workforce productivity and efficiency, become more competent in communicating in the deaf and hearing environment, improve in critical thinking and decision making