‘Access for All’ programme to improve disability access nationwide

a mobility devices presentation, the initiative will begin with government buildings before expanding across the island, Forde said.

He said: “We are going to lead the charge as a government… to ensure that all government buildings could facilitate wheelchairs… That is the firm commitment of this government.”

He stressed that providing mobility aids alone is not enough without the infrastructure to support them.

“This literal passing on… will be meaningless unless those wheelchairs… are able to be involved in the conversation in every nook and cranny of our business.”

The minister revealed that Parliament will be among the first locations targeted under the programme:

“You can’t have the third-oldest Parliament making all the legislations… and not being able to be accessed by those same persons that we go to make legislation for.”

Drawings are already being prepared to make the building accessible, said Forde. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one first step.”

Forde also pointed to additional projects aimed at improving accessibility, including a $600 000 accessible-sidewalk initiative in Bridgetown and ongoing beach and recreational access efforts.

“We are going to ensure again that the project could be a live reality for the persons who are living with disabilities.”

The announcement came as the Barbados Council for the Disabled, in partnership with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, distributed wheelchairs and other mobility devices to persons in need.

BCD president Patricia Padmore-Blackman said the initiative highlights what can be achieved through collaboration:

“This opportunity today marks a milestone in the lives of persons with disabilities… it helps persons… to recognise their full potential and to be able to traverse our island Barbados.”

She described the effort as “one of accessibility, one of empowerment and one of hope,” while noting the organisation’s nearly 50-year history of advocacy.

District president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Owen Waldron, added that the partnership continues to deliver meaningful impact.

“This initiative is more than just a gift of equipment. It is a testament of compassion, unity, and shared responsibility… to ensure that no one is left behind.”

(LE)