Ena Barclay Academy empowers students with intellectual disabilities

With campuses in Lyssons and Pear Tree River, the Ena Barclay Academy of Excellence is redefining what's possible for students with intellectual disabilities in St Thomas.

As the first and only secondary-level special needs school in the parish, the academy has become a beacon of hope and opportunity.

Founded in 2017 as the Lyssons Centre of Excellence, the school has steadily grown, now enrolling 75 students across its two campuses. The school accommodates students ages 12 to 20, many of whom perform three or more grade levels below their chronological age. But rather than dwelling on deficits, the institution focuses on strengths.

"We believe in adding value to the lives of the students placed in our care. Hence, we offer them skills. These students must leave here with a skill. They must be able to generate some form of income to support self, family, and, by extension, contribute to nation building," acting principal, Jacqueline Hendricks-White said.

In addition to skills-training, the students are also taught communication, numeracy, and civics.

"We build self-esteem. We teach civics. We bring back that pride of self and pride of nation to the students," Hendricks-White added.

Parents like Shirley Duffus and Latoya Brown praise the school's dedication and holistic approach.

Duffus, from Lower York in the parish, commends the staff as caring and loving.

"When it comes to the children, they give them a lot of exposure. They take them out to different places," she said.

Duffus is immensely grateful that the institution is not only close to home, but it also eliminates the high expense of travelling to Kingston. She has seen remarkable improvements in her child since attending the school.

"I remember she was supposed to do a project about cooking and she came home, went on the internet and she (found) what the teacher said. She was there in the kitchen trying. She was supposed to prepare the meal, take a photograph of it, and send it to her teacher for her homework. She was there trying to do it by herself without my supervision, based on what she learned at school," the proud mother recalls.

Brown says her 15-year-old son is involved in a range of activities.

"He's a part of the music band, 4-H, agriculture, and home economics," she said. "He wasn't so advanced before. They are doing an awesome job there," she added.