By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

A TEAM of specialists has carried out assessments on more than 40 children in Bimini this week, bringing long-awaited testing to families who often face steep barriers to accessing specialised services.

The initiative, supported by Bimini-born NBA rookie VJ Edgecombe through his foundation, brought nine professionals — including psychologists and a speech-language pathologist — to the island’s school system and to children who are not enrolled in school.

Testing concluded this week before the team returned to New Providence.

The programme was organised by Ursula Roker, president and founding member of the James Pinder Bimini Special Needs Art Projects, which funded the visit after the Ministry of Education indicated it could not immediately cover the cost.

Ms Roker said the goal was to move beyond informal concerns and secure formal diagnoses for children, creating a foundation for structured support.

“At first, we had 44 children in the primary and high school referred for testing, and seven children who do not attend school at all,” she said. “Since they were here, we have had maybe about five more parents come forward to say, would you please test my child?’”

She said the work now shifts to building support systems.

“They are putting together a plan for services moving forward. Testing is just the beginning,” Ms Roker said.

The effort grew out of an informal art programme started about four years ago by Ms Roker and the late James Pinder to engage children with disabilities who were not attending school. Concerns from parents about children who appeared to be on the autism spectrum or facing other developmental challenges led to a push to bring professional assessments to the island.

While the Ministry agreed to help, Ms Roker said budget constraints meant it could not fund travel and related costs.

“They said yes, we can do that, but budget low. We do not have the funds to do that anytime soon,” she said. “But if you can raise the funds to accommodate the travel and the related expenses to Bimini, we could put a plan together for you, and that is what we did.”

The Tribune understands support also came from the VJ Foundation through his mother, Bendra Rolle, allowing education ministry professionals to travel to Bimini.

Ms Roker said access to testing remains a major challenge for Family Island residents, where specialised services are limited and costly.

“For sure, the testing itself, if done privately, can start at $1500, and that is just the testing,” she said. “Then you have two or three airline tickets and rental car and hotel for a parent to take their child to Nassau.”

Even when assessments are provided at no cost by the Ministry, families must still cover travel and accommodation.

The programme also highlighted accessibility gaps in the education system, including cases where children cannot attend school because facilities are not equipped to accommodate them.

“There are children who do not attend school at all,” Ms Roker said. “We actually have one child who is very bright, but he has cerebral palsy, uses a wheelchair, so he does not attend school because it is not accessible for him.”

She said some parents were initially hesitant to have their children assessed, but that changed once the team arrived.

“When they saw the team arrive, and it is such a big group, it made them think there is hope,” she said. “You have your child tested and you are given this label and nothing changes, then what. But that is not what the plan is here.”

Officials now plan to maintain contact with teachers and parents and explore remote support options.

“They plan to stay in touch with the teachers and the parents, and they have also discussed some tele intervention programmes using the internet,” Ms Roker said.

For families like that of Ellsworth Robins Jr, the visit has provided support that is rarely available on the island.

“It is hard, but you just got to keep at it,” Mr Robins said. “Kids like them, they need love and support. That is one of the biggest things you could ever put into a special needs child.”

Mr Robins said his 11-year-old son, who experiences seizures but can communicate, does not attend school because of limited options.

“There is not a school or anything that I could send him to,” he said. “I try to have him watch educational videos, but this week was extremely successful to a point where he is asking me when he going back.”

He said having specialists on the island eased the burden on families who would otherwise have to travel to Nassau for care.

“You do not really have those things here,” he said. “You have to take a child away or move to where you can be closer to a doctor or school.”

Ms Roker said the turnout for testing underscored the need for sustained intervention.

“They stressed to the parents that they can only do so much from nine to three,” she said. “Parents have to step up after school and at home.”