Government must do more for people with disabilities
IT’S RATHER worrying that despite greater levels of awareness about the rights of people living with disabilities and efforts to facilitate their inclusion, we are still so far behind.
Earlier this week, I witnessed someone using a wheelchair in the Half-Way Tree area. The sidewalk (thankfully, they had that) barely accessible. They had to use the road on the busy thoroughfare as vehicles rushed by. I marvelled at how inaccessible the roads tend to be.
The experience reminded me of the death of 39-year-old Marlon King who was struck by a JUTC bus in Papine, St Andrew, in 2015. A Jamaica Observer article said that residents of Cheshire Village, a small community in Mona, St Andrew, for people with disability, where King lived, were incensed. “This is an accident that could have been avoided […] for years we have been calling for the authorities to not only repair but to remove the utility poles that are erected in the middle of sidewalks along the road,” Karen Brown said.
Do you realise how difficult it is for people with disabilities to get by? Have you ever wondered what is being done by the Government to make the situation better for the 13.6 per cent of people with disabilities?
In 2007, Jamaica ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which sought to improve attitudes and approaches to the community of people with disabilities. Two years later, The Persons with Disabilities Sector Plan was developed to contribute to National Outcome 3, ‘Effective Social Protection’ under Goal 1 – ‘Jamaicans are empowered to achieve their fullest potential’ of Vision 2030 Jamaica (the National Development Plan). By 2014, the Disabilities Act was passed (and will, at last, come into effect on February 14) ‘to safeguard and enhance the welfare of persons with disabilities across Jamaica’.
UNCERTAIN
While these are commendable actions, I am uncertain about the extent to which the Government is fulfilling its obligations ‘ to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity’ (CRPD).
Note, I am not saying that nothing has been done. Certainly, there is progress in several areas – expansion of the early stimulation programme, more training and employment of people with disabilities, and sign language interpretation for sittings of Parliament, among others. Additionally, the 2019 Economic Social Survey of Jamaica, published by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), highlighted that significant work has been done to improve the policy and legislative framework to protect and promote the rights of people with disabilities.
According to PIOJ, “Work was advanced on the development of two specific codes of practice to guide the implementation of the Disabilities Act 2014. These were the employment code, completed within the period, and the Education and Training Code, which was well advanced by year end. The Ministry of Labour and Social Security also led the development of the regulations that are required for effectiveness of the Disabilities Act, a process that was also advanced during the year.”
RESPECT AND DIGNITY
The vision statement for PWDs for Vision 2030 Jamaica is: “A society that is inclusive, accessible, provides opportunities for all and recognises the rights, freedoms and responsibilities of persons with disabilities in the process of nation-building.” Accordingly, the plan addresses the following concerns: (1) Ensuring the physical and social environments are enabling; (2) Ensuring public service personnel are aware of appropriate responses to PWDs; and (3) Ensuring that the society is protected from preventable injuries that could be disabling. These are very well intentioned and should result in people with disabilities being treated with respect and dignity, participating more in social, cultural and governance activities, and having access to goods and services as well as minimising the risk of acquired disabilities.
It’s difficult to ascertain how well we are doing based on news reports, testimonies and anecdotes in both traditional and social media. The Government needs to do more to make schools, health facilities, public buildings, and the roads, for example, more accessible. More must be done to create employment opportunities for the community. Importantly, a comprehensive report on the PWD Sector Plan should be developed and published, if one doesn’t exist.
If Jamaica is to become the place of choice to live, work, raise families, do business and retire, then we have to do more to take care of those who are vulnerable and marginalised, including people with disabilities. Let’s not wait until there is another news report or unfortunate incident to be concerned about their welfare and safety.