Special Needs Centre for Children Showcases Talents

Kehinde Lawal

Olusoye Compensatory Centre for Children with Special Needs, recently held its talent show and award ceremony tagged, ‘Epe 2018’, aimed at showcasing the hidden potentials of the children.

In his remarks, the Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has promised his administration’s readiness to continue to support persons living with disabilities in the state and that letters of employment to persons living with disabilities would be sent to the state civil service and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).

According to the governor, who was represented by the State’s Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Honorable Agboola Dabiri, the development was a major testament to demonstrate in practical terms his commitment to ensure an all-inclusive government and to empower persons living with disabilities to become wealth creators and employers of labour.

“I am elated by the achievement of the centre since its establishment by Mrs. Ellen Caulcrick to serve as a crucible for the nurturing of the natural and acquired talents of children with special needs. The apparent attitude of the average person in our society to the plight of children with special needs in our society revolves around apathy and neglect.

“The decision of Mrs. Caulcrick to venture into the tenuous terrain of providing a platform that would nurture and offer vulnerable and neglected children with the essentials available in regular schools and providing a natural home ambience is definitely commendable.”

He said the Child Rights law of Lagos State declares emphatically that every child has a right to education, healthcare, love and social security, adding that this law stands as a strong pivot on which the children development programme rests.

“Our educational curriculum development takes into cognition that our children have needs that vary based on congenital conditions and we have provided facilities that would enhance the potentials of identified children.

Dabiri commended the vision of the founder of the centre for keying into government’s initiative for the care and development of this category of children, saying, “ A diamond will continue to be seen as just a piece of stone until it is polished to reveal it’s true worth and value in the society. The institution of this talent show and award, to highlight the hidden potentials of the children in the centre is a step in the right direction. It affords the children an outlet to showcase their innate talents and to contribute to the actualization of the completion of the development at the permanent site located at Oke Ogun in Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State.

The Chairman, Board of Governors, Olusoye Compensatory Center, Mrs. Adefemi Abeke said the vision of helping persons living with disabilities came from the founder, Late Mrs. Ellen Caulcrick who founded the centre at ilupeju with her retirement benefit after she left public service.

“ Caulcrick had a great passion for the needy and the care for the disabilities in the society. She was able to acquire hectares of land in Oko Osho area at Epe.

“She has dreamt of acquiring hectares of lands to provide a fully residential facilities for the needy, and eventually she got two and half hectares of land in Oke Osho, Epe LGA.”