All talk, no action - Blindness prevents master"s degree holder Wilbert Harvey from gaining employment

Contributed

Wilbert Harvey was born blind.

Social worker Wilbert Harvey may have been born blind, but he has a clear vision of a future of equal rights for persons with special needs in Jamaica.

With both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in social work, he is qualified to take on corporate Jamaica. However, according to the 30-year-old, his biggest difficulty has not been living with his disability, but the inability of others to offer equal opportunities.

Since his graduation from the master’s programme at the University of the West Indies, Harvey has not been able to obtain a full-time job.

Gap between the rhetoric and action

He said: “One of the biggest challenges has been the barriers created by society in terms of discrimination, based on ignorance. My story is not an individualistic one either. Various stakeholders, the Government and business entities, in keeping with the global inclusive approach, say they are on board with special needs – that they welcome people like me – but there is a significant gap between the rhetoric and action.”

Harvey said persons with special needs are increasingly ensuring that they are qualified to compete in the corporate world and yet their skills are being underutilised. “I know of one colleague who has been job hunting for more than 20 years and has resorted to other studies as a means of keeping occupied,” he said. “We all have obligations in this society and I just want to highlight this situation and to make an appeal for people like myself not to be boxed into a corner.”

Harvey is considering participating in the upcoming Digicel Foundation 5K Run/Walk which is geared at generating contributions for various special-needs institutions across the island. Taking place on October 11, the 5K Run/Walk is one of the many platforms that Digicel Foundation has utilised to assist those with special needs. Persons interested in participating may register at www.runningeventsja.com.

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All talk, no action - Blindness prevents master"s degree holder Wilbert Harvey from gaining employment

"Super Bowl gaining traction locally"

BY SHAMILLE SCOTT Business reporter scotts@jamaicaobserver.com

Wednesday, February 05, 2014    

IT’S not football as Jamaicans know it, but the Super Bowl of ‘American football’ is becoming an increasing attraction locally.

Patrons went out in droves at various sports bars and lounges last Sunday night to view the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL) Super Bowl final — where the Seattle Seahawks blitzed the Denver Broncos with a 48 to three victory.

What’s more, local punters wagered millions of dollars on the outcome of the event.

Cuddy’z Sports Bar estimates that about 200 patrons watched the game at its New Kingston location on Sunday, while Usain Bolt ‘s Tracks and Records figures it had over 250 customers that night. New player, Ribbiz Ultra Lounge at the Acropolis Gaming Lounge, said the turnout was as projected.

Admittedly, persons don’t flock the sports bar to view the play offs but wait until the big game.

“It has a small but loyal following, but nothing major like some of the other sports such as football, basketball, track and boxing,” said Gary Matalon, CEO of the KLE Group that operates Tracks and Records. Matalon added that the excitement really starts closer to the Super Bowl.

Meanwhile, the general manager of Cuddy’z, Jeanelle Waddell, said that the popularity of the game is gaining traction, but the Super Bowl event is quite popular.

“Jamaicans love sports, it’s a natural fit, but it doesn’t compare to our tradional football (soccer),” she said.

Andrei Roper, senior marketing officer, sports betting at Supreme Ventures, figures that the reason the game has become popular is because of how close Jamaica is to the US.

“The NFL does a good job in marketing the Super Bowl, Jamaicans travel, and many of them go off to college and become accustomed to the game,” he said.

As for sports betting, JustBet reported that sales last Sunday were just under $1 million, while total JustBet wagers on the Super Bowl came in at almost $2 million.

Still, overall sports betting sales for the Super Bowl is much higher at well over US$100 million in the US, with estimated worldwide sales exceeding US$200 million.

Furthermore, a Jamaican-born right tackle, Orlando Franklin, 26, was a part of the Broncos team. Indeed, this along with the excitement about the game helped to pull Jamaicans in and make them interested.

“Let’s not forget that Americans, Irish and Canadians who love the game also live here, many of whom were at Ribbiz,” Roper said.

“Ribbiz has one of the best viewing experiences, with eight large televisions on every wall and the event was complemented with a drink-inclusive package for $3,000,” said Kamal Bankay, experience curator, Ribbiz.

Tracks and Records said that it sent out blast emails and had heavy social and traditional media campaigns leading up to the event.

“JustBet is pleased that we were able to offer bets on the day of the Super Bowl. It is critical to fans and punters who follow and research their sports closely, to be able to bet right up to just before the match,” said Roper, adding that this allows players to evaluate weather conditions, injury reports or any other factors that they believe may affect the outcome of the game.

The Super Bowl has set a record for the most-watched television event in US history, drawing the attention of 111.5 million viewers and has the potential for a worldwide audience of 1 billion.

February 2 was the first Sunday that sales of the JustBet sports betting product became available island-wide and the company expects to see more growth in Sunday betting sales, Supreme Ventures said.

“We at JustBet are confident that Sunday betting will facilitate even greater growth, given the number of NBA, Barclays Premier League and other European football leagues, international cricket and other events that are played on a Sunday, not to mention the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil”, added Roper.

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"Super Bowl gaining traction locally"