Channel 7 won one of the top honours at the Caribbean Media Awards
held on Friday night in Bridgetown Barbados. Keith Swift went to Barbados on
Thursday to participate in the awards ceremony where he picked up the Sagicor
Award for Best Television News Report.
The story that won was about Doris Staine, the five year old girl who
wanted to go to school but couldn’t. As we reported back in September
of 2007, two primary schools rejected Doris because she was born with spina
bifida - a disorder of the spinal cord which prevents her from walking. But
the disorder didn’t prevent Doris from learning and that’s why the
story gained national and now regional attention.
Along with the Sagicor Award, Keith won a National Award for Best Television
Report and a Certificate of Merit from UNICEF. He went to share the good news
with Doris today and found out she had even better news – she was enrolled
in school.
Keith Swift Reporting,
Doris Staine’s journey to school begins at home where her sisters place
her in the wheelchair. They then roll her through the streets and through the
gate at St. Luke’s Methodist School – a gate through which she was
once refused entry.
Delsymae Diaz, Grandmother of Doris Staine
“When school opened the principal sent and told us that Doris can
come in now because they have already built the ramp for her and she can come 
in. We felt happy, we took her, and she is doing good in school and everything
and she is happy and we are happy for her that she is in school and she is doing
good. We help her when she comes home to do her homework and she is smart now,
she is doing good and everything is alright with her now in school.”
Pamela Bodden, Principal – St. Luke’s Methodist
“It is an Infant One class, the children are very small but they are
very compassionate children and they all want to take care of Doris. Anything
that she needs, they will want to do it for her.”
St. Luke’s Principal Pamela Bodden says the school initially declined
to accept Doris because they lacked the proper facilities.
Pamela Bodden,
“At the time we felt that we were not able to accommodate her with 
her condition. For the past year we have been working towards that. Along with
the Ministry of Education and NARCI, we now, for this new school year, we have
been able to accommodate Doris. We have in place a new bathroom, remodelled,
and it still needs some things in there but it is usable. We also have the ramps
in place so that Doris could be wheeled into the classroom and we have our teachers
who are more sensitized with Doris’ condition.
Along with the other things that we have requested was a nurse’s
aid. But so far we are not able to get that nurse’s aid and so Doris’
mother, she comes in every two hours, to check on her, to change her and give
her the care that she needs.”
Doris’ Grandmother Delsymae Diaz says all the family wanted was for Doris,
who turns six next month, was to be in school.
Delsymae Diaz,
“We all happy that she got into school and she is doing good. That
was nice for we and everything so we are glad for her and everything is alright
right now.”
Principal Bodden says there is a lesson to be learnt from Doris Staine’s
story.
Pamela Bodden,
“She is after all a child with her own special rights and one of the
trends in education now is inclusion and we are very pleased that St. Luke’s
has moved one step in that direction. We do have many children in Belize with
special needs similar to Doris’ and other special needs. We should not
close the door on them, we should have an open mind and be willing to put in
the necessary infrastructure and accommodation for these children so that they
can be included in the regular classrooms.”
And now that she crossed one hurdle, for Doris – the sky now seems to
be the limit.
Keith Swift,
What do you want to be when you get big?
Doris Staine, Student
“A doctor.”
Again Doris is in need of a community nurses aid. 7NEWS’
Jacqueline Godwin received a Certificate of Merit for her hugely successful
‘Battle of the Bulge’ series. Janelle Chanona was also honoured
with two regional awards.
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