By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

GOVERNMENT officials yesterday held a ground breaking ceremony for a multi-service centre for adults with developmental disabilities.

The soon-to-be constructed government facility is aimed at providing a safe and supportive environment for post school aged persons with developmental disorders.

Prime Minister Perry Christie, along with Deputy Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis and Social Services Minister Melanie Griffin and other government officials, all turned up at the future site of the facility off Gladstone Road, a 30-acre plot of land near the Ministry of Agriculture’s Saturday market.

In his keynote address, Mr Christie, whose adult son Adam is autistic, stressed the notion that “every child in our country has a fundamental right to share in the equity of the country.”

“That’s the message that I articulate here in the Bahamas, and when I am in meetings or speaking at meetings throughout the region,” he said. “Countries tend to be preoccupied with developmental issues, levels of employment, or … the extent to which people are unemployed. They grapple with political issues which are the issues of the day, but through it all we are either unaware or indifferent to some of the very real challenges faced by parents of children who pose great difficulty to them.”

According to officials, the facility aims to increase independence and the quality of life for disabled persons in a safe and healthy environment. It also strives to meet the needs of the underserved section of the disabled community, who have graduated from educational institutions by virtue of age.

Ultimately though, it provides opportunities for further training and development, social work and work-related skills for the disabled community.

The facility will provide day care for those young adults and training to aid in job placement.

Mrs Griffin, whose ministry has oversight for the facility, expressed her delight in the occasion.

“It’s indeed a wonderful day for . . .persons with disabilities, in particular those with developmental disabilities, as we break ground for a state of the art, modern purpose built facility that will cater to the needs of this group of persons and their families,” she said. “Our goal is to administer a quality based environment which embraces several core values, which includes treating every person with dignity and respect, the recognition of individuals strength and ability, and supporting persons to reach their maximum potential as contributing and valued members of society.”

According to Mrs Griffin, the process to establish the facility began in 2013 with the appointment of a special task force given the mandate to “develop, design a programme for a facility for post school aged persons with developmental disabilities.”

To meet this mandate, she said in June 2013 she led a delegation on a “learning tour” of a number of adult service facilities for persons with developmental disabilities in Florida and New York, as well as another delegation to Cuba in October of that year.

Officials said the centre will be driven by a “clinically appropriate and researched based curriculum adapted to the Bahamian cultural context, designed to promote inclusion, independence and productivity.”