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D180

  1. D180 is a Jamaican national.1 He had been living in the UK for 22 years prior to being detained under immigration powers. He was detained at Brook House from May 2015 to May 2017.2
  2. From the time when D180 arrived at Brook House until August 2016, he was visually impaired,3 which made moving around the building “really challenging”.4 When he arrived, he told staff that he was visually impaired but, in his induction, he was “shown” where things were and he was allocated a cell upstairs.5 He was later moved to a cell downstairs but, as the canteen and shower cells were located on the upper floor, he had to rely on other detained people to assist him.6 He said:

“I wasn’t given any help by detention staff to cope with my disability. Nobody asked me about my visual impairment and my needs.7

  1. Speaking about his experiences at Brook House, D180 said:

“It was very difficult and often frightening for me at Brook House being almost blind. I didn’t know anyone there and I couldn’t see other detainees properly. I didn’t know my way around and couldn’t see how to get around. The place was extremely noisy, with loud banging of doors and shouting. I felt scared, intimidated and very vulnerable.”8

  1. In May 2017, after two years in detention, D180 voluntarily returned to Jamaica.9

References


  1. DPG000040_0001 para 2[]
  2. DPG000040_0001 paras 2-3[]
  3. DPG000040_0001 para 4[]
  4. DPG000040_0004 para 14[]
  5. DPG000040_0003 paras 11 and 13[]
  6. DPG000040_0003 para 13; DPG000040_0004 para 16; DPG000040_0005 para 20[]
  7. DPG000040_0005 para 21[]
  8. DPG000040_0003 para 12[]
  9. DPG000040_0001 para 3[]

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