Basseterre: St. Kitts, April 22, 2021: Ten individuals have been commissioned by the Ministry of Education as members of the St. Kitts Spectrum Services Centre Advisory Committee. The announcement was made on Thursday, April 22.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr William Vincent Hodge performed the task of commissioning the Advisory Committee members.
“We realise that these individuals have a wealth of experience and knowledge, working knowledge because they have lived this and so they are very much into providing advice and counselling to other persons, other parents, other colleagues. We are delighted that we can have you volunteering to serve on this committee,” he said.
Members of the newly formed Advisory Committee include:
Ms Jennifer Sweeny (Chairperson)
Ms Michele Jacobs (Assistant Chairperson)
Mrs Dale Amory (Secretary)
Ms Yasmain Powell (Assistant Secretary)
Mr Maliek Gumbs (Technical Support Officer)
Ms. Neeta Chandiramani Surlak (Member)
Mrs. Charmaine Blanchette (Member)
Mrs Josephine Claxton-Richardson (Ex Officio)
Dr Sheryl Rosin (Ex Officio)
Speaking in her capacity as chairperson, Ms Jennifer Sweeny expressed the vision of the committee “Our vision is to bring awareness and education to the Federation regarding Autism; to create and oversee the operational guidelines of the St. Kitts Spectrum Centre and to ensure that each and every child diagnosed with Autism receives the appropriate therapies and support they deserve in order to help them navigate a world that is very different to theirs”, she said.
Ms Sweeny’s interest in Autism peaked after her daughter was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, shortly after she migrated to St. Kitts Operating under their mission’s banner to serve and support the families with children on the Autism Spectrum within the Federation, the St. Kitts Spectrum Service Centre has been operational for the past three years.