Baha Mar is providing true inclusion for all Bahamians, with more opportunities than ever before for individuals with intellectual and developmental disorders (IDD). On Monday, the Leadership Development Institute (LDI), a non-profit training organization supported by Baha Mar began its third session.
LDI creates opportunities for Bahamians from all backgrounds to be trained and to potentially join the Baha Mar team. In this recent session, LDI broke new ground by not only doubling of the class size but also by taking the unprecedented step to include people with IDD in the program.
More than 200 new LDI students and their parents gathered in the Rainforest Theater at the Crystal Palace Training Hotel for the LDI orientation session. However, for the six individuals with IDD and their parents, the meeting represented so much more.
Through a revolutionary program, Baha Mar has partnered with Best Buddies International, founded by Anthony Kennedy Shriver in 1989, to allow individuals with IDD to join Baha Mar's transformative Leadership Development Institute. Over the years, Best Buddies International has partnered with organizations throughout the United States and in 50 countries around the world, assisting with training and creating integrated social and employment opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities including autism and Down syndrome. The partnership with Baha Mar marks the first Best Buddies International venture in the region.
Best Buddies candidates were identified with the assistance of local IDD advocates, including Dr. Michelle Major, director of the Seahorse Institute, a non-profit organization that provides treatment for people with autism and other developmental delays, and Mario Carey, president of R.E.A.C.H. Bahamas, an autism advocacy and support group.
Baha Mar's Chief Marketing Officer Denise Godreau, was humbled by the opportunity to be a part of the revolutionary program that is transforming not only the resort experience in The Bahamas, but the way that people with IDD are perceived.
Godreau, who is also the mother of a child with IDD, said there is no better way to transform The Bahamas, Baha Mar's employees and the guest experience than by creating programs like LDI that can tap into the unrealized potential in members of our community.
"For me personally, it's a great day. I have a daughter with IDD, and I'm incredibly excited that we are able to have this opportunity in The Bahamas," she said, wiping away tears. "The Best Buddies program at Baha Mar is going to change everyone for the better. Baha Mar and LDI are already changing lives through providing a chance for Bahamians to create a better future, but having candidates with IDD at LDI, and eventually at Baha Mar, will make us all more grateful, humble and joyful."
The Best Buddies program affords individuals with IDD the same chances to succeed as other young people enrolled in LDI. Through LDI, Baha Mar is helping to increase the integration of people living with IDD in our community by providing them with the tools and opportunities that they need to succeed in the workplace and the chance to secure a job at the luxury $3.5 billion resort.
The integration of Best Buddies with LDI has received strong support from parents of young adults with IDD and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) within the community who have lauded LDI as a transformative program.
Raymond Gaitor is the father of 20-year-old Jonathan, a graduate of Anatol Rodgers High School with IDD. Gaitor describes Best Buddies and LDI as a godsend.
"As a member of R.E.A.C.H., this is one of the things we have been hoping for over the years. It is similar to a sheltered workshop where companies introduce the kids to a work environment, getting them comfortable with responsibilities," Gaitor explained.
Carey said that parents with children who have IDD now have hope.
"Typically, in The Bahamas, kids with IDD graduate from school at 19 years old, and they go home. They don't have the chance to be a part of society. That puts a lot of stress on families," he explained. "If we can get them into the workforce, the domino effect is huge. We're so happy to have this program in The Bahamas."
Each IDD student has been paired with a student 'buddy' in LDI for the duration of the 16-week class session. During those sessions, LDI students will learn functional and technical skills, service skills, leadership training and life skills, part of LDI's overall vision to create opportunities for all Bahamians, including those with unrealized potential.
According to LDI Executive Director Jeffrey Lloyd, all students will be treated fairly and encouraged to take advantage of all opportunities, to exceed expectations, to help each other and to thrive as part of a community.
"These students are making history because they are enrolled in the largest LDI class to-date. Not only because enrollment has doubled, but also because LDI is welcoming individuals who are intellectually and developmentally challenged," Lloyd said.
Participant Danor McKinney was thrilled to be a part of the new LDI class and get his feet wet in the field of hospitality.
"I'm excited about it because it leaves a lot of opportunities for young folks of our age and it opens up a lot of doors," McKinney explained.
The third session of LDI began on July 21 and will run until early November. To learn more about LDI and how to apply, visit LDI Baha Mar on Facebook or e-mail LDI@bahamar.com.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian