Disability Movement About Inclusivity & Equity

The Caribbean Disability Conference, currently underway in Barbados, is being described as a conference of transformation and transition.

With the theme “Breaking Barriers: Advancing Inclusive Education for All Abilities” guiding the discussions, Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Kirk Humphrey, shared these sentiments in his keynote address at the opening ceremony, held over the weekend at the Wyndham Grand Barbados, Sam Lord’s Castle, Long Bay, St. Philip.

He stated: “Equality is not an obligation; it must be an aspiration…. I trust that we will have an inclusive, accessible Caribbean society that invites people to the table that they do not have to do it for themselves….

“We cannot build a Caribbean society that goes anywhere if that Caribbean society is not inclusive.”

Minister Humphrey cautioned that current global shifts on new positions on gender and on the effects of climate change within the external economic environment should be a cause for concern, especially where rights are being repealed.

“These rights eventually erode and erode until most of us who need persons to stand up and fight for us, no longer have rights…. This is now the time that we must determine we have to fight.

“Growth is necessary, but it is not by itself enough, and I ask that we continue to make this conversation about equity. I ask that we continue to make this conversation about dignity, and I ask that we continue to make this conversation about the rights of persons with disabilities,” he implored.

The Minister highlighted that legislation, namely the National Policy for Improving the Lives of Persons with Disabilities, and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, is proof that the Government is focused on the inclusivity of persons within the disabled community. 

“While we build up all these facilities to make life easier for persons with disabilities to be healthy and for our children…the walls I think that we must break down are the walls of prejudice, walls of discrimination…walls of deception, all these are things that have to change,” he stressed.

Mr. Humphrey described the case for persons with disabilities as “naturally sound’, noting that the conference represents a defining moment for the Caribbean region. 

 He told the audience that while the country must have an entire educational system and workforce that are inclusive, the meritocracy that exists within society often placed persons with disabilities at a great disadvantage.

“Why? First of all, you cannot get a bus to get you to school – transportation has to be fixed. At its core, you have to be able to get the children to school in the first place, so they can get the education. Our teachers don’t have the resources and in many cases, the schools aren’t built for persons with disabilities.

“The way the system is constructed, there is no possibility that it becomes ordinary for persons with disabilities to get these qualifications. Our system must be able to treat persons with disabilities fairly because they have the same potential as ordinary children and must be given the same opportunity.” 

The Caribbean Disability Conference, which is being hosted by the Caribbean Disability Network, concludes tomorrow. Delegates from Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Grenada, Guyana and the Bahamas are participating in the event. (PR/GIS)

Caption: Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Kirk Humphrey, poses for a photograph with former President of the Senate, The Most Honourable Kerryann Ifill, at the opening ceremony of the Caribbean Disability Conference at the Wyndham Grand Barbados, Sam Lord’s Castle, on Sunday