President Bharrat Jagdeo says he will increase funding for projects aimed at creating a real and sustainable income for citizens who are differently-abled.
The sector has been substantially under-funded for years, Jagdeo said yesterday, while stating that his government will immediately boost spending to offer specific opportunities to persons who are living with disabilities; this includes setting up a call centre to be staffed by persons within the community.
The announcement came amid calls for persons with disabilities to have equal access to opportunities and to be included in mainstream activities. Chairman of the Guyana Council of Organisa-tions for persons with Disabilities Leon Walcott said the Persons with Disabilities Act and everything it offers will change the lives of persons in the community, while adding that they no longer want to be considered “charity cases”.
The President, speaking at the opening of a national sensitization programme to launch the Persons with Disabilities Act, pointed to government’s push towards information and communication technology, which he said offers viable options. He intends to meet disability organizations in the country in another few days to work out an action plan mapping out better economic and social opportunities.
The legislation has no real effect if the commitment to make things happen is absent, Jagdeo said, while stressing his government is not only committed but that it intends to partner with the other stakeholders to successfully implement the policy changes outlined in the act. As the economy grows, more funding would be directed into social services sector, which the President identified as one that has been neglected over the years.
However, he observed, government has been struggling with the resources at its disposal. “We don’t want to treat you differently,” Jagdeo told the gathering of mostly persons living with disabilities and he pointed out that opportunities will open up, but that they will also have to work to earn better wages. He said too that increased funding would also mean a greater need for accountability across organizations and no bickering and in-fighting.
The act is important to government, he added, pointing out that he left a PPP meeting where the party was deliberating on its presidential nominees to be present at the function. He reiterated the need for an active plan to be in place which will see the desired changes in the lives of persons living with disabilities.
The President said too that there is a need for persons working within the public service to focus more on service, since this often makes the difference between successful projects and those that struggle to see results. He stressed that commitment is important.
Jagdeo said government is paying serious attention to the social services sector, adding that the home for persons living on the streets should be completed by next month. He recalled meeting with young children living on the streets only recently and learning how life has been for them, in addition to how things will change then they are taken off the streets.
Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy praised the legislation and those who worked on it over the years, saying that persons with disabilities led from the front. He called the legislation critical, noting that it offers equal opportunities.
Ramsammy also spoke of the increased funding for persons living with disabilities over the years, saying that the law offers provisions which will accelerate progress in the targeted areas. He said the passage of the law meant that government no longer has to implement policy changes based on a commitment to do so because it is now the law of the land. To this, the President said he disagreed, since “commitment must be at the core of government’s action.”
Chairman of the National Commission on Disability Evelyn Hamilton called the act an important step after many years of work. She praised the government and a network of agencies, including several government ministries which have supported the commission’s work over the years. She said the commission looks forward to continued support as the changes in the act are implemented.
Deputy Chief Education Officer, Administration, Donna Chapman mentioned the ministry’s efforts to offer more inclusive education for persons living with disabilities. She said too that the ministry recognizes the need to make more changes in its programmes and physical spaces.
