DOORS OF ACCESS to the University of the West Indies (UWI) for disabled students have just opened wider.
A new eight-seater van with wheelchair accessibility has been donated by the Maria Holder Memorial Trust.
Student services manager Khaleid Holder said it was needed to ensure students with disabilities enjoyed the same level of access to university life.
He added the new van replaced an aging vehicle that was prone to breaking down.
“For us, one student missing a class was too much to bear. We were saddened. Simply put, education is indeed the most powerful way to change our world. This new vehicle enhances our accessibility and can help our students to change our world.”
UWI Cave Hill principal, Professor Eudine Barriteau, called on Government to include disability accessibility among its proposed new electric buses to be added to the Transport Board’s fleet later this year.
In thanking the trust for the van, she noted Cave Hill had been pursuing a policy of increasing access to disabled students since 1994, starting with a ramp at the main library, changing classes to ground level, investing in a lift at the 3Ws Pavilion, and addressing other measures for visually-and hearing-impaired students.
Trustee with the Maria Holder Memorial Trust, Mary Brewster, said: “We know you are going to take care of this gift. This is not only for you but those coming after you.” (HH)
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