Members of Deaf Community Gaining Employment Through Efforts of CCCD

The Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf (CCCD) is working in earnest to improve the employability of deaf Jamaicans through public and private-sector partnerships.

Founded in 1958, the CCCD operates three residential schools in Kingston, Manchester and St. James as well as the Jamaica Deaf Village in Manchester.

Acting Executive Director, John Meeks, whose substantive role is that of Social Enterprise Officer, explains that the campuses form a system that supports deaf individuals from early childhood through to adulthood.

In an interview with JIS News at the CCCD Knockpatrick campus in Manchester, on January 9, he pointed out that the employment level among the deaf is relatively low but vocational studies in agriculture are proving to be a practical pathway towards sustainable employment and economic independence.

The HEART/NSTA Trust has provided CCCD students with training in greenhouse technology, small ruminant rearing and tractor operation.

“The partnership has been long and ongoing and we’re moving forward to creating training agreements where we can have a more collaborative partnership on specific aspects of agriculture,” Mr. Meeks shared.

He told JIS News that the CCCD has at its disposal close to 150 acres of land, about 50 acres of which are arable productive agricultural land.

“We currently operate a greenhouse; we have poultry and that’s both layers and broilers. We have cattle, we have pigs and we are now heading into goat rearing, and crop production is a large part of what we’re doing,” he detailed.

In addition, Mr. Meeks noted that the CCCD is exploring opportunities to develop by-products from its goat rearing, including soaps and other value-added products.

He informed that the CCCD is in the process of building out its greenhouse capacity.

“We have some partnerships that are looming with the Ministry of Agriculture, [Fisheries and Mining] to provide us with some of those assets and infrastructure, so we can expand for entrepreneurial and social enterprise reasons, because we have to generate sustained income to support the deaf and the programmes we have here, and agriculture is one of those vehicles that allow us to do that,” he said.

Looking ahead, Mr. Meeks told JIS News that the CCCD is placing increased emphasis on entrepreneurship.

“We are now embarking seriously on entrepreneurial skill sets because where you can’t find employment, you can create your own employment,” he reasoned.

At the Jamaica Deaf Village, employment and housing accommodation are provided for deaf adults under a transitional living programme.

“We employ, at present, about 10 to 15 young men in agriculture taking care of cattle, crop production, along with other things,” Mr. Meeks noted.

Meanwhile, Mr. Meeks shared that the CCCD has a partnership with private and public-sector businesses to ensure that, once students receive education and training, they are connected to employment opportunities.

He said these jobs are short-term and long-term, but the broader challenge remains the communication barrier that affects both employers and deaf employees.

Mr. Meeks said projects carried out in partnership with the European Union and RISE Life Management have focused on equipping staff in public and private-sector spaces with basic sign language skills, enabling them to better bridge communication gaps and support these needs.

“The key for us is to ensure that there’s access, ensure that they are skilled and, therefore, are marketable, and by virtue of providing them with the access and the training, then we are opening a world where employability is certainly possible,” he continued.