Harrison’s Cave has been congratulated for getting on board the Fully Accessible Barbados campaign, but it also received some criticisms yesterday from president of the Barbados Council for the Disabled, David “Joey” Harper.
Harper, who was speaking at the unveiling of a Fully Accessible Barbados plaque at the Cave, told chief executive officer Joe-Ann Grant, that the cave still had a lot more to do.
While praising the wheelchair walkways and doorways and designated parking lots, he noted that there were no signs at the cave that displayed a “welcome” to the disabled community, nor did they have a sign language translator on staff.
“You have all these different signs to welcome, but this is amazing . . . We have ensured that every person or nationality and languages that I don’t recognise are made to feel welcome, but not even a little sign or squiggle you have to welcome a person or a group of disabled persons,” he lamented.
Harper, who said Harrison’s Cave was one of the world’s greatest attractions, recounted that he had asked Grant if she had anyone employed to do sign language and received a “not to my knowledge” response. He then urged the CEO to employ a person who knew sign language to make Harrison’s Cave “completely fully accessible” to the disabled community.
The president told those gathered that like all other travellers, the disabled was a large market and too often the potential spending capacity was not realised.
“It is unfortunate that we do not recognise the true potential of the disabled. We have a tendency to overlook them and to not recognise their spending capacity, so we are losing a significant part of the market because we are insensitive,” he said.
Harper said if Barbados could attract just 18 per cent of the disabled market, the country could make over $500 million per annum, and “that’s only the tip of the iceberg”.
He said there were approximately 28 000 disabled people in Barbados alone, and that a fully accessible Barbados would not only mean ramps, but proper notification on buses, at bus stops and more.
“There are those who are visually impaired, who sometimes have trouble seeing the buses. Bus shelters need some kind of braille writing to help them or even voice-activated systems telling them where the bus is going,” he added.
CEO Grant, who read Minister Denis Lowe’s remarks in his absence, said allowing access to the facilities by all persons was a critical consideration in the design and layout of the newly redeveloped Harrison’s Cave.
Lowe noted the cave was now recognised in the categories of wheelchair assisted, mobility challenged, the deaf, the blind and the impaired, category 1.
He noted, too, that the National Conservation Commission would also continue to strive to ensure that the areas that it was responsible for, including the parks, beach facilities and play parks were all accessible to those with disabilities. (CT)
