Minister of Labour and Social Security, Pearnel Charles Jr, has actually highlighted the significance of a research study performed by the University of the West Indies (UWI) that evaluated the lifestyle of the handicapped on the island.
Attending to a current Disability Assessment in Jamaica sensitization workshop at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa in St. James, the Minister stated the evaluation provided a chance to break down barriers for the handicapped.
The research study, which started prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, was performed utilizing quantitative and qualitative research study and consisted of interviews with crucial stakeholders, consisting of the handicapped and their households. Some 300 individuals throughout the island were talked to.
Amongst the subjects investigated throughout the evaluation were gain access to by handicapped individuals to public facilities, just how much is invested by the Government every year to accommodate the requirements of the handicapped, discrimination versus the handicapped in the office, and access to State advantages such as the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH), to name a few.
“This session today is an extremely essential enhance to that effort (research study) for us to have a definite discussion around individuals with specials needs. This is, in my viewpoint, among the more vital evaluations that had actually been done, which I think will enable us to really take apart a great deal of the barriers challenging people with specials needs throughout the Caribbean area, not simply Jamaica,” the Minister stated.
Mr. Charles Jr. included that the session likewise served to highlight the seriousness in enhancing the lives of those with specials needs on the island, keeping in mind that the COVID-19 pandemic declared that tomorrow is not ensured.
He urged stakeholders to utilize the info from the evaluation to specify the future for all Jamaicans, consisting of the handicapped. “We need to start this deal with 2 things, a decision and hope that our objective of an inclusive Jamaica will not simply fall as words however as words in action, and we desire this to be a truth and we have some substantial space for enhancement,” the Minister stated.
He even more kept in mind that the research study will enable stakeholders to have a more precise understanding of the difficulties experienced by individuals with impairments, so options can be put in location. For her part, the Executive Director of the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD), Dr Christine Hendricks, likewise highlighted the value of the findings of the evaluation.
“This research study that has actually been done highlights much of the important things that you as individuals with impairments have actually been stating throughout the years. We have in black and white precisely the scenario that you deal with, and it, for that reason, challenges us, who are the implementers, to make sure that we put the systems in location, that we serve you much better to guarantee that you are empowered, to guarantee that you take your rightful location in Jamaica that is your home as much as it is the home of anybody people,” she stated.
“We desire you to understand that you are not being left, regardless of what the research study reveals, that if it is that we do not alter the trajectory in an extremely intentional method, you will be left, however we are guaranteeing you that we will not leave you behind, since you are essential to us.
Without you, without your involvement and participation in this nation, we will not get to the advancement status that we are looking for to reach,” Dr. Hendricks stressed.
Throughout the workshop, findings on the lifestyle for the handicapped in Jamaica existed. Stakeholders likewise took part in a question-and-answer session and were motivated to offer brief- to long-lasting suggestions on enhancing the lives of the handicapped in their neighborhoods. The workshop was hosted by UWI and the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities.