Festival Of Fun Marks Progress In Special Needs Education In Saint Lucia

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed annually on December 3. This year, just two days later, the Special Education Unit, in collaboration with the Sacred Sports Foundation (SSF), Tui Care Foundation, and Including US (funded by the European Union) hosted the 2024 Festival of Fun—creating a safe space for special education students to gather, play sports, and enjoy recreational activities

This year marked the festival’s official return after a long hiatus. The event is part of ongoing efforts by advocates and Saint Lucia’s Special Education Unit in the Ministry of Education to provide children with special needs with equal opportunities. Established in 2000 with just an Education Officer and a Clerk, the Unit has steadily grown in scope and impact.

Held at the Beausejour Indoor Facility and the Daren Sammy Cricket Stadium, the Festival of Fun brought together students, educators, and advocates. 

Suzy Fontaine, Vice President of the Helen’s Association of Persons with Autism and a mother of two—including a daughter with autism—praised the initiative. She told  St. Lucia Times, “This activity, today, is really heart-warming because it gives the children a place where they’re included. They don’t have to feel uncomfortable about the way they are, they’re just in their own space, in a safe space.”

Fontaine, who has been raising her children in the United States, highlighted that the stigma surrounding children with autism—often misunderstood as “difficult”—is a global issue. She emphasised the importance of raising awareness, fostering understanding, and creating inclusive spaces. “Our intention is to work with the government to ensure that our children’s needs are met. We’re very excited about that because it was a long time coming,” she said.Founder and Director of the Sacred Sports Foundation, Nova Alexander, also commended the government’s efforts in a previous interview with St. Lucia Times. “The Special Education Unit under Dale St. Juste has been tremendous, and it’s really developing a whole lot more,” Alexander remarked. The SSF works with schools across the island to help accommodate the needs of children with differing abilities, amongst other initiatives.  

Education Officer within the Special Education Unit, Dale St. Juste, expressed his satisfaction with the progress being made during an interview with St. Lucia Times.

According to St. Juste, accommodations are now being made for children with special needs at national exams like the CPA and CSEC. Where previously only vision impairments were considered, children with other needs now receive support in the form of readers, scribes, extended time, and additional accommodations. 

“We are looking to break into the tertiary level. We have not been very successful at that as yet, but it’s sort of the next frontier for us,” St. Juste explained.

He also noted an increase in the number of trained special education professionals now supporting both special needs schools and mainstream schools, and a shift in attitudes among parents as other triumphs: “More parents are now willing to seek help when they suspect something unusual in their child’s development.”

St. Juste noted that historically, some parents would remain in denial, resort to keeping children away from public spaces, or avoid seeking formal recognition of their child’s special needs, but this has all been changing.

The Special Education Unit too, has now gone from a two-person team to a six-person team.“It’s an exponential increase even though it’s a deficit, really, considering what the needs and mandates are,” St. Juste stated. 

Special Education schools are now at full capacity, St. Juste shared. He says the demand for assessments continues to grow, hinting at an operational setback.

“They [Special Education schools] cannot take in any more children. The assessments that are done at the Unit are never enough. We still have a massive backlog of children ready for assessment, but the Unit is undermanned to meet that level of demand,” St. Juste explained.The Education Officer did admit that a well-informed source noted that these increased cases could be the result of both an increase in the interests of parents to seek formal assistance and a general uptick in the number of children being born with or developing special needs.

According to St. Juste, this year, the Festival of Fun was executed close to the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, treating it as a celebration of disabilities and people who are affected by disabilities.