Jamaica Society for the Blind Commends RGD

The Jamaica Society for the Blind has commended the Registrar General’s Department (RGD) on the successful introduction of Braille certificates.
The first, a Braille birth certificate, was issued on May 1 at the official launch at the Jamaica Society for the Blind, in Kingston.

Executive Director, Jamaica Society for the Blind, Conrad Harris, told JIS News that the initiative is “a wonderful example of how collaboration can work and how the community of persons with disabilities should be treated”.

He said that having approached them, the RGD did not simply act on their own accord but, instead, sought their input before proceeding.

“They, in fact, sat down with us, consulted and found out whether or not it’s something that we wanted and then when they actioned it, they actually used our feedback to determine what was put in place,” said Mr. Harris.

He noted that there were several discussions, one of which focused on whether to create two separate certificates – one in braille and another in print –given the fact that Braille takes up a lot of space.

In the end, one certificate was printed to include Braille; however, the information had to be condensed as everything could not hold on the same sheet of paper.

“We are not getting everything that’s on the print certificate, but we’re getting the most crucial information, and I believe that myself and many others are happy with the fact that it is just the one certificate that includes both the print and Braille,” said Mr. Harris.

The Executive Director is also pleased that visually impaired persons can apply for the certificate at no extra cost. Issuing Braille birth certificates to the public began on May 2.

The RGD is the only organisation in Jamaica which is responsible for registering vital events – births, foetal deaths, marriages and deaths.