U.S. blockade hinders special education in eastern Cuba

HOLGUÍN, Cuba, Jul 18 (ACN) The school La Edad de Oro, which provides specialized care to blind and visually impaired children to facilitate their social inclusion, is one of the special education centers in the province of Holguin where the negative effects of the 60 plus year-old U.S. blockade take a toll every day.

Among the school’s main problems for this reason are the restrictions to purchase Perkins machines used for the writing in Braille system and an essential instrument to teach these children and develop their communication skills.

Provincial methodologist Yamila Garrido remarked that the U.S. blockade also hinders the acquisition of embossed sheets, exercise books, transparencies and other educational and medical aids that the students definitely need.

This U.S. policy costs the Cuban economy around five billion dollars and has fallout on health, education, transport, communications, agriculture, science and technological innovation, according to the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, not to mention the difficulties to import
consumables, spare parts, machinery and other components made in the United States or by its companies, which forces Cuba to spend more in shipments from third countries.

The province of Holguín has about 3,000 students in 25 institutions engaged in a special education program created in 1961 at the initiative of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro.