Seven deaf men who work within the Department of Parks were praised for their achievements yesterday as Bermuda marked the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Lisa Johnston, director of Parks, said of Dean Edness, Robert Darrell, Robert Fox, Toundi Hollis, Neville Eugene Tatem and Larry Chapman: “They work in a variety of jobs, and in a variety of locations, but one thing that they have in common is their commitment to excellence in their chosen professions.”

Each man was applauded by a large crowd gathered for the occasion at Par-la-Ville Park as Ms Johnston outlined their achievements.

She said: “Dean Edness works at the Bermuda Botanical Gardens. He is a very keen and capable gardener and employee. His attendance is near perfect and his attitude is great. He is generally a very humorous guy who keeps the work environment jovial.”

Mr Darrell is a carpenter who has worked for the department for 40 years.

Ms Johnston said: “His attendance is very good and he has never been late. As an employee he is reliable and consistently produces work of an excellent quality.”

She described him as “one of the gems in the Department of Parks”.

She added: “He is known as the go-to-guy, because he can problem solve and repair just about anything.”

Mr Fox and Mr Hollis both work at Government House.

“They are respected by their entire team because they are reliable, hardworking, punctual and excellent gardeners,” she said.

Ms Johnston added: “When it comes to communicating with those of us who are sign language deficient, Toundi is a star in expressing himself to us, and in turn interpreting our needs to Robert.”

Mr Tatem works on the western schools team.

“He is very energetic and enthusiastic in everything that he does. His Superintendent and foreman are very pleased with his work and say that their only complaint is that he loves to talk and does so often,” she remarked.

Mr Chapman has worked with the department for 36 years, and is a foreman for the eastern schools team.

“As foreman, he must communicate with his team daily to inform them of where they are going to be working, what jobs need to be done on that site, and to answer any of their questions about their work. He does this exceedingly well. He also has an excellent attendance record and is respected by his team, and superintendent,” she said.

Ms Johnston also praised the work of DeQuan Thomas who worked over the summer at Government House.

“When he began, he was really pleasant although very shy, but by the end of the summer he was one of the team, working beside them with pleasure,” she explained.

“Through interacting with DeQuan Thomas, Robert Fox, Robert Darrell, Toundi Hollis, Neville Tatem, Dean Edness and Larry Chapman, we at the Department of Parks have learned that disability doesn’t mean that you can’t do something it means that you do some things differently,” she explained.