Ensuring equal opportunities for all individuals, especially those with special needs, is crucial for promoting inclusivity in Cayman.
Transportation plays a significant role in achieving this goal, providing freedom and independence to go anywhere, be it work, classes, or social activities. Accessible transportation is necessary to create a level playing field and break down barriers that may prevent people with additional needs from enjoying the same opportunities as others.
The Sunrise Adult Training Centre, serving almost one hundred clients with special needs, aims to engage, empower, and help them find and maintain supportive employment to enhance their independence and quality of life. However, addressing these individuals' daily transportation challenges is a major part of the equation.
Almost seventy Sunrise clients are enrolled in the Centre’s in-house Recreational and Vocational Programmes, with daily transportation solutions being an increasingly major need for the Centre’s increasing number of attendees. According to Mrs. Kimberly Voaden, the Sunrise Adult Training Centre Director, "In many cases, if our clients, especially wheelchair users, cannot access transportation, they are not able to attend."
Fortunately, the Centre has recently received a generous donation of a wheelchair-accessible Toyota Coaster from an anonymous donor. "We are beyond thrilled to have this donation, as without it, we would not have this transportation solution," says Voaden.
"Toyota is committed to making transportation more accessible for everyone, and they have focused on inclusive vehicle designs that cater to the requirements of individuals with disabilities, from ramp-equipped coasters to personal vehicles with modified controls," says a member of the Vampt Motors Sales team who is delivering the Coaster.
This collaboration between a generous benefactor, Toyota's innovative Coaster, and Vampt Motors Sales team to deliver, has opened new possibilities for overcoming transportation barriers, thus promoting inclusivity through attendance and independence.
According to Voaden, the new Coaster offers a transportation mobility solution that supports diversity and inclusion for individuals with special needs, allowing them to attend and enjoy greater independence.