A message from president of the Barbados Council for the Disabled, Maria Holder-Small.
AS WE CONCLUDE the commemoration of another Month Of The Disabled, I am privileged to share with you as president of the Barbados Council for the Disabled (BCD), the fact that the council is celebrating 40 years of working on behalf of persons with disabilities.
This is no easy accomplishment for a non-governmental organisation (NGO) such as the BCD, as we continue to play major roles in collaborating with Government and the private sector in pushing for inclusion at the local level, while being cognisant of the sustainable development goals at the international level.
Fully Accessible Barbados
However, at the local level, the main NGO representing persons with disabilities is seemingly attracting more international attention as it addresses issues facing accessibility in Barbados through our Fully Accessible Barbados (FAB) programme at a quicker pace than is being matched locally.
This signifies that the council is playing its part effectively in the tourism industry. It also strengthens our resolve that FAB will encourage the change that is necessary for the inclusion of persons with disabilities.
With the support of one of its members, the council has been collaborating with the Ministry of Labour and international agencies to address the issues of discrimination in the workplace against persons with disabilities.
Key areas
These are two key areas in which we have been creating heightened awareness since the ratification by Barbados of the Convention Of The Rights Of Persons With Disabilities.
The buzz being created from various sectors in terms of physical access and employment opportunities gives us some encouragement that we are making inroads; but it is not enough.
For inclusion of persons with disabilities to really matter, we must also have the necessary legislation enacted by our Government that would seek to demonstrate that tangible measures are being taken to include all Barbadians.
Having been involved in discussions that have led to the development of draft legislation for four bills dealing with the issues that affect persons with disabilities, and their inclusion in this society, the council and its members are still waiting for our policymakers to determine when inclusion matters.
In the meantime, for persons with disabilities:
• Inclusion will matter . . . until the proposed Persons With Disabilities Bill is passed to give the Convention Of The Rights Of Persons With Disabilities the force of the law in Barbados.
• Inclusion will matter . . . until persons with disabilities have access to public facilities, amenities and services.
• Inclusion will matter . . . until persons with disabilities have access to public transportation.
• Inclusion will matter . . . until persons with disabilities have access to education, employment, health, information technology and cultural life.
• Inclusion will matter . . . until it is an offence to discriminate against persons with disabilities.
12 500 signatures
• Inclusion will matter . . . until the Road Traffic Act Cap 295, which addresses issues affecting parking for persons with disabilities, has been amended. We owe this not only to those over 12 500 persons who took the time to sign a petition asking Government to enact this one simple provision that the rest of society enjoys, but we owe it to all Barbadians with disabilities who are prevented from inclusion by this one act.
As president of the council, I take this opportunity to thank the public, Government, the private sector and international agencies for the support provided the council to administer its work. I also want to encourage the Government to not let the work of the council over the past 40 years stagnate.
As we continue to grapple with local and international challenges, I call on the Government to continue to work closely with the council and let us demonstrate to persons with disabilities in a tangible way that inclusion matters.