The high unemployment rate among people with disabilities is not just a social issue but a national development crisis, according to executive director of the Caribbean Policy Development Centre (CPDC), Richard Jones.
Addressing the annual general meeting of the Barbados Council for the Disabled last Thursday, Jones said the exclusion of people with disabilities from the workforce represented a significant economic and social loss for Barbados.
In Jones’ address, titled Adapting To Survive: How Changing Demographics Are Reshaping the Future Of NGOs, he cited figures from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Barbados as the council marked its 50th anniversary.
“The broader point remains that too many persons with disabilities are excluded from meaningful work and enterprise. That is not simply a disability issue, it is a development crisis, an economic loss and a social failure,” he said, pointing to as many as 90 per cent of Barbadians with disabilities being unemployed.
He noted that a UNDP report found that people with disabilities “do not lack ability; they lack access to jobs, workspaces, public spaces, transport and recreation”.
“Barbados cannot speak seriously about inclusive growth while leaving so much human potential unused,” he added.
Jones said the consequences of exclusion extended well beyond employment.
“Exclusion from work, school, transport, recreation and public life creates isolation, loss of confidence, dependence where independence should be possible, overburdened families, exhausted caregivers and young persons with disabilities who may feel that society has no place for them,” he said.
He called for people with disabilities and the organisations representing them to be placed at the centre of national demographic planning, arguing that issues such as accessibility, transportation, housing, employment, care and assistive technology should become integral to Barbados’ development agenda.
Jones also appealed to Minister of Labour, Social Security and the Third Sector Colin Jordan for greater financial support for non-governmental organisations (NGO).
While welcoming the ministry’s recently announced $5 million fund to support faith-based organisations carrying out youth and community programmes, he argued that NGOs deserved similar assistance. (HH)