Over 200 civil servants took part in a dress down day to support Rotaract Blue’s Open Arms Programme on Thursday, 28 March 2013.

Open Arms promotes non-discrimination for disabled persons and aims to help integrate those living with disabilities into the community while providing support and recognition to persons who care for them.

As part of this year’s programme, Rotaract Blue organized dress down months to raise awareness of the different disorders, and asking companies to wear a specific colour associated with the disorder on any chosen day that represent disorders. For the remaining months, and according to international standards: purple is for Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) in March, grey for Dyslexia in April, and teal for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in May.

The Honourable Deputy Governor and Head of the Civil Service, Mr. Franz Manderson, JP said, “On behalf of the entire Civil Service, I commend Rotaract Blue on their efforts within the Open Arms Programme and I am pleased that we were able to support persons living with disorders through this initiative. I wish to thank the many Civil Servants who participated in this dress down day. I look forward to the Civil Service participating in similar initiatives in the future, as we work towards becoming a more community-minded Civil Service.”

The Cayman Islands Civil Service, which is the first organisation to participate in the programme donated a total of CI$1135 to support the fight against ADD in March. Ministry of Finance had the largest number of participants with 46 staff taking part.

Expressing her gratitude for the contribution, Club President Jacqueline Golding-McDonald said, “Assisting the community is at the heart of Rotaract Blue’s operations. We are confident that this effort by the Civil Service will enhance community awareness of this disability and help to strengthen the Open Arms Programme.”

With over one billion people living with disabilities around the world, Rotaract Blue stands committed to this initiative.

Photo captions: Photos by Acting Chief Information Officer Suzette Ebanks

1.         Participants gather around as Deputy Governor, Hon Franz Manderson, JP shake hands with Rotaract Blue’s Vice President Yvette Cacho.