Danny Williams School for the Deaf gets safer classrooms and fire alert upgrades

The Danny Williams School for the Deaf has received major rehabilitation work aimed at making parts of the campus safer and more suitable for learning.

The improvements followed concerns raised around 2020 about the condition of the school’s buildings. A school representative said the review began after a major anniversary, when stakeholders considered how to protect the institution’s legacy for future students.

According to the representative, the outreach department in the Faculty of Engineering at The University of the West Indies prepared an engineering report for the school. The report found that some walls were buckling because the foundation was shifting. While the problem appeared minor to the untrained eye, engineers indicated that the movement was serious.

The rehabilitation has brought renewed life to sections of the institution, which serves children who are deaf and rely on visual communication, movement and expression as part of daily learning.

One key safety upgrade is the installation of strobe lights across the compound. The lights are intended to support students in emergencies by providing a visual alert instead of depending only on sound-based alarms.

The upgraded classrooms are also expected to support teaching. A school representative said the sturdier walls will allow staff to use charts and other materials more effectively during lessons.

A representative of the Sagicor Foundation said the project was part of an effort to ensure children learn in a safe and supportive environment.

“For Danny Williams School for the Deaf project, we demolished all the drywalls that were affected by termites. We reconstructed these drywalls. We did a lot of painting as well as installed an addressable fire alarm system,” the representative said.

The work is expected to help the school continue serving its students in an environment that is safer, stronger and better equipped for their needs.