Govt promises disabled community say in planning national events

People with disabilities will, for the first time, be actively involved in planning major national events, as the government moves to address widespread criticism over inadequate accessibility at festivals, the government’s top disabilities official said Wednesday.

Members of the disabled community have spoken out about inadequate access and wider inclusivity issues during the ongoing CARIFESTA XV and the just-ended Crop Over Festival.

Director of the National Disabilities Unit (NDU), Wayne Nurse, acknowledged that people with disabilities faced challenges enjoying these and other events, and said that would soon change.

“Right now, there are problems with people being able to enjoy a lot of the festivities going on in Barbados because they are saying they are not being included in the plans,” Nurse told Barbados TODAY as the Barbados Council for the Disabled (BCD) launched its 50th anniversary celebrations.

“Going forward, we hope to include people with disabilities from at least the planning stages, so that when these occasions occur, we would have already taken into consideration how people with disabilities will actually get to the event and how they will enjoy it as well.”

Nurse said the NDU would continue to promote inclusion as part of its mandate to eliminate barriers, highlighting both ongoing and upcoming policy initiatives which aim to make accessibility and equal participation mandatory across public life.

These include the 2023–2030 National Policy on the Disabled and the forthcoming Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill.

The commitment comes amid mounting pressure from advocates who argue that while progress has been made, the fight for full inclusion is far from over.

BCD vice president Kerryann Ifill noted that while the golden anniversary celebrations of the council served as a reminder of the progress made, the quest for full inclusion was ongoing.

“Even though we’ve been making strides, it doesn’t mean we’ve closed the goalpost on any but it’s a work in progress,” she said in a follow-up interview.

“We still have a way to go and successive leaders within BCD have fought and we will continue to, and work with and support, to make inclusion a reality for everybody.”

Ifill added: “I’ll never identify any one area [that requires more attention] because they are all hinged on so much. I can’t speak about education without speaking of transportation, I can’t speak about transportation without speaking about employment, [and so on]. Inclusion means addressing every aspect because society touches the lives of people with disabilities and vice versa.”

She stressed that real inclusion requires systemic change and meaningful representation.

“It’s wrong to separate these things or think there’s a one-size-fits-all solution,” she said.

The debate over access intensified a few weeks ago when disability advocate Senator Andwele Boyce called for inclusive planning for cultural events, warning that accessibility could not remain an afterthought.

“Convenience must never come at the cost of inclusion,” Senator Boyce said in a statement issued in July, noting that Barbados will be legally obliged under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill to provide features such as accessible seating, signage and facilities at major venues. 

shannamoore@barbadostoday.bb