Run, Wheel and Walk event promotes health and wellness through exercise

Under the theme, Inclusion: Living Without Limits, celebrations for the Month of the Disabled continued on Saturday morning with Run, Wheel and Walk. The event started at the Child Care Board in Cheapside, St Michael and saw participants traversed The City before the culmination at the site of the National Disabilities Unit (NDU).

Equity for the disabled community is paramount and the NDU has intensified its efforts to foster a more inclusive society. Their activities are focused on cultivating inclusion through sensitization. Earlier in March the group collaborated with the Road Runner Program of Starcom Network to celebrate International Women’s day. They presented three female members of the disabled community with fruit baskets at their homes. Other activities included an inaugural lecture series under the patronage of Roslyn Hurley, Special Envoy for Persons with Disabilities. The presentation, This is My Story was made by lawyer Janeil Odle.

Saturday’s walk was concentrated on not only raising awareness, but also geared towards promoting health and wellness through exercise. At the culmination, there is an Entrepreneurial Market, which is slated to run until 5 pm.

John Hollingsworth, Director of the National Disabilities said, “We recognise that the issue with unemployment is foremost in the mind of persons with disabilities, so we are giving persons with disabilities the opportunity to showcase their products and services today at our headquarters in Lower Collymore Rock.”

After the walk, this sentiment was echoed by Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Kirk Humphrey. He indicated that the common thread which had emerged through the constant dialogue with the disabled community in the past year has been the lack of employment. He is hopeful that legislation will be passed to ensure that they are given equal access to job opportunities.

“This activity here is an entrepreneurial market, this is the second time that we are doing it, to showcase the products and services of persons with disabilities, and to make sure that they can also make some money and to increase their marketability,  introduce them to the public  and to show that persons with disabilities have skills like anybody else,” Humphrey said.

Humphrey praised the NDU for their continued efforts and emphasized its importance. He said, “We are doing it for a worthy cause, we are doing it together. The Ministry of People Empowerment is happy to be associated with this idea. I want to commend the National Disabilities Unit for this good work.”

He assured, “This is the first year that we have done the walk but it will not be the last, we intend to go bigger and better next year.”

The minister noted, “We had this morning over 200 persons on the road, a fantastic turn out from a number of organisations and invested people who also came on the road.”

The walk created a carnival-like atmosphere and there was a phenomenal reception from those lining the route.

Throughout the month of March the unit created a family affair as they hosted a series of movie nights. The final one will take place on Saturday evening after the day of activities winds down. Patrons can enjoy the showing of The Sea Beast and Minions The Rise of Gru at 6:30 pm.  (STT)