The Caribbean Disability Conference opened on Sunday night with a strong call for inclusion and action from Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Kirk Humphrey.
Speaking at the opening ceremony held at the Wyndham Grand Barbados Sam Lord’s Castle Resort, Humphrey urged delegates to move beyond policy to transformative change in the lives of people with disabilities (PWD).
“I looked at the agenda and I looked at the different perspectives and I looked at the persons who are involved — the policymakers, the advocates — and I think we have the opportunity over the next few days to be able to do something that is great, something that is transformative,” he said.
The conference brings together regional advocates, experts, and government officials.
The evening’s proceedings were hosted by Kerry-Ann Ifill, advocate for the PWD community.
Highlighting the ministry’s achievements, Humphrey said the passage of the Rights for Persons with Disabilities Act in Parliament, and the increase in the Special Needs Grant would help to improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities.
However, he admitted that government could not rest on its laurels. “We have to be able to do a little bit more, and a little bit faster than what it is that we are currently doing,” Humphrey said.
“Even as we speak now, there are shifts in the external economic environment that should cause all of us some concern. When we start to repeal rights, these rights erode and erode, until most of us who need someone to stand up and fight for us no longer have rights.”
The minister lamented that social services were often the first to face cuts during economic uncertainty, a reality he said directly impacted persons with disabilities.
“It means that they don’t have the resources to build these facilities we want to build, we cannot get the assisted devices, we cannot get all of the technology that we want,” Humphrey said.
He also pointed to the persistence of negative societal attitudes as a major barrier.
“While we build up all these facilities, the walls I think that we must break down are the walls of prejudice, the walls of bias, the walls of discrimination, the walls of perception, all of these things that are social constructs.
“We must find a way not to separate persons with disabilities, but to have education that is close-knit and inclusive. We cannot continue to say this is a school for persons with disabilities and this is a school for able-bodied persons,” Humphrey said.
“Our system must be able to treat persons with disabilities fairly, because they have the same potential as ordinary children given the same opportunities.
“This is a defining moment for our region. There is a generation of children coming behind you that need you now to stand up in this moment. I believe that equality is not an aspiration. It cannot be an aspiration, it has to be an obligation,” he maintained. (STT)
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