In a groundbreaking educational milestone, Jamaica’s special needs students demonstrated exceptional mathematical prowess at the inaugural UWI-UNICEF Special Mathematical Olympiad Champions 2026. The competition, held Thursday at the University of the West Indies’ Mona campus, witnessed remarkable achievements from visually impaired and deaf scholars across multiple categories.
Lister Mair Gilby School for the Deaf’s Port Antonio unit claimed junior championship honors through the brilliant performances of Tevaughn Douglas and Kemario Anderson. The senior category victory was secured by a talented quintet from Salvation Army School for the Blind and Visually Impaired: Kevaughn Thompson, Jahmarie Morales, Abria Bishop, Jhanelle Palmer and Katheriel Johnson.
This pioneering regional event assembled 53 exceptional participants representing various special needs backgrounds, with 28 students identifying as low vision or blind and 25 as deaf or hard of hearing. The competitors hailed from multiple campus locations including Portland, May Pen, Papine and Port Antonio, with every participant receiving formal recognition during the awards ceremony.
Professor Tannecia Stephenson, Dean of UWI Mona’s Faculty of Science and Technology, praised the initiative as transformative for educational accessibility. “This wonderful initiative enables access to activities that develop the skills we all need to excel,” Stephenson remarked, while challenging participants to “persist with your dreams until you possess them.”
The event garnered significant governmental support with Pearnel Charles Jr., Minister of Labour and Social Security, sharing personal reflections on mathematics education. Minister Charles emphasized the importance of overcoming mathematical anxiety, noting “Not fearing math has caused me not to fear any subject.”
The Minister simultaneously announced enhanced support systems through the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD), urging families to register for assistance programs. These include the Margaret Moody Scholarship valued at $350,000 per recipient and education assistance grants of $50,000 for educational materials. Minister Charles further encouraged students to actively participate in policy formation, specifically requesting recommendations for the Minister of Education and Youth regarding special needs education improvements.