“Eye care everywhere” was this year’s call to action for the 11th Annual Walk for Sight held on Saturday 13th October, 2018 at the Grand Stand, Queen’s Park Savannah. The event, hosted by the Volunteers for World Sight Day in collaboration with the Trinidad and Tobago Blind Welfare Association, Persons Associated with Visual Impairment, Advocates for the Blind and Vision Impaired was held in observance of World Sight Day 2018. The Ministry of Social Development and Family Services was also a proud partner. World Sight Day is an international annual day of awareness held on the second Thursday of October, to focus global attention on persons with visual impairment.
The day’s activities began with the Walk for Sight where almost four hundred participants walked around the Queen’s Park Savannah seeking to raise awareness about visual impairment and the causes of blindness. The walk was followed by a stream of activity including free vision screening, glaucoma screening, blood sugar and blood pressure testing. Representatives of the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services’ Communication and Education, Disability Affairs and NGO Units were delighted to meet and speak to those gathered about the wide range of programmes and services offered to the citizenry specifically, the medical equipment grant where needy person can qualify for medical equipment of up to seventy-five hundred dollars to purchase items such as such as glasses.
Another highly participative feature of the day was the “Annual Blind People Can Cook” culinary event. Patrons were also able to witness the culinary magnificence, creativity, talent and of course, great taste of the visually impaired community through this segment. In the end, the Ganges meets the Niles emerged victorious with Twinkle Stars and Sweet Flavours tying for second place.
The Ministry of Social Development and Family Services as the leading social sector ministry and advocate for full inclusion for persons with disabilities, has and will continue to pledge its commitment to championing awareness, sensitization, education among the national community to ensure that persons with disabilities have access to critical services and facilities which are relevant to their needs and remove barriers which prohibit their full participation.
The Ministry also looks forward to commemorating another UN Internationally recognized: “Poverty Eradication Day” on October 17th.