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JAM | May 15, 2024

Registrar General’s Department to partner on Braille certificate prints

ABIGAIL BARRETT

ABIGAIL BARRETT / Our Today

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Chairman of the Jamaica Society for the Blind (JSB), Daemion McLean (left), displays a copy of one of the first printed Braille birth certificates that were presented to the Society on May 1. Also sharing the moment are the JSB’s Executive Director, Conrad Harris (centre) and former Chief Executive Officer and Deputy Keeper of Records at the Registrar General’s Department, Charlton McFarlane.


The Registrar General’s Department (RGD) has partnered with the Jamaican Society for the Blind (JSB) to facilitate the printing of Braille certificates.

The JSB will manage the Braille printing procedure as a result of this creative partnership, creating jobs for the visually impaired community.

The department’s former CEO and deputy keeper of records, Charlton McFarlane, reportedly highlighted that one of the primary challenges faced with making the essential documents available in Braille was the unavailability of a Braille printer at the RGD.

Stock Image, reading braille.


“We entrenched the partnership further by including in the arrangement, that the Braille printing be done by the Jamaica Society for the Blind, allowing for further economic activity to be brought to the members of that community,” McFarlane explained.

The former CEO emphasises quality assurance, stating that each Braille certificate undergoes meticulous scrutiny using Baille character recognition software after printing.

“The members of the visually impaired community are very appreciative of it because for them this means a new level of independence. They also now have a certain level of dignity in being able to read their own document without relying on someone else for assistance,” McFarlane said.


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