The advisory committee for the establishment of a commission to champion improving the lives of persons with disabilities has a November 30 deadline to get a draft policy and proposed legislation together.
Member of Parliament Edmund Hinkson is the Chairman of the Committee and he has former President of the Senate and President of the Barbados Council for the Disabled (BCD) Kerryann Ifill as his deputy. The other members are Senator Andwele Boyce, communications specialist Joyann Haigh, Queen’s Counsel Larry Smith, attorney-at-law Janeil Odle, former principal of the Learning Centre, Dawn Rudder, member of the visually-impaired community Granville Carter and Director of the National Disabilities Unit (NDU) John Hollingsworth.
Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Kirk Humphrey gave the November deadline during Wednesday’s launch of the committee at the Warrens Office Complex.
He said the committee has been mandated to prepare a National Policy on Disabilities and a Draft Bill which offers comprehensive protection for persons with disabilities.
Humphrey said the committee must also develop the terms of reference for the commission for improving the lives of persons with disabilities and work towards a set of robust disability protection regulations.
According to him, the advisory committee will also work on establishing relationships with other ministries through a memorandum of understanding, with a view of soliciting information on behalf of the committee.
The minister stressed that the empowerment and enfranchisement of persons with disabilities continue to be prime objectives of the Government.
He stressed that for several years, the vulnerable group of citizens has been confronted with several challenges including a lack of access to adequate training, employment opportunities, access to public spaces and insufficient availability of suitable transportation.
To compound matters, the minister added, the rights of the disabled are often infringed upon by able-bodied members of society, by actions ranging from parking in spots which are reserved for disabled persons, to the building of structures which do not take the unique needs of persons with disabilities into consideration.
“I have led a privileged and fortunate life to do some things of which I am very proud. But in my heart, I think that this is probably the most important work that I have had the opportunity to do and lead. I have been in this business of social care and social transformation for a long time and one of the things where I thought I saw the greatest deficit really, was in the lives of persons with disabilities.
“ I feel that in the year 2022, many Barbadians still don’t appreciate the challenges that are naturally imbedded in our society and that there is a kind of impersonal way that people carry and discriminate. It really breaks my heart. I feel as though the work of this committee has the opportunity to transform not only legislation, but also the lives of people and a whole society,” Humphrey said.
The minister thanked the members of the committee for committing to serve their country.
Meanwhile, Hinkson, who described the establishment of the committee as significant in the history of the nation, indicated that even though Barbados would have signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in May 2007, and ratified it on February 27 2013, the country was yet to bring into law the policies and provisions of the convention.
“For nine years we have been in breach of our international rights to legislate disabilities legislation, and that is what this committee is about. And of course legislation follows policies,” he said.
Hinkson noted that each member of the committee has either a personal, or close interest in enhancing the lives of persons with disabilities.
Ifill, who is visually impaired, also applauded the establishment of the committee and stressed that several issues affecting the disabled community, including access to housing and education opportunities, must be addressed. She noted that she recently received a complaint regarding an able-bodied person and another with disability, being denied the opportunity to rent a property, with the potential landlord outlining that they did not want the person with disability there. anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb
