Parliament has passed the landmark Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, designed to address education, job security, protection against abuse, and transport for people with disabilities.
The newly enacted legislation was developed through extensive town halls and open discussions facilitated by the National Committee for the Improvement of Lives of Persons with Disabilities. It is based on the Resolution: National Policy for Improving the Lives of Persons with Disabilities, which the committee submitted to ministers last year.
Senator Andwele Boyce, a member of the disabled community, expressed his full support for the new law while speaking in the Upper House on Wednesday. “I am proud as a Barbadian to stand here and participate in what is the expansion of our democracy,” he said.
Senator Boyce emphasised that while the Act should be seen as a positive change for the country, society as a whole has long feigned ignorance towards the plight of people in the disabled community. He explained: “We say often ‘I never knew’, ‘no one has ever told me’, ‘if only I had thought of that’.
“I think the cumulative effort of this work [Resolution: National Policy for Improving the Lives of Persons with Disabilities], is that we now know. The country knows and we have to determine for ourselves the level of participation that we will have in improving this country in the name and interest of persons with disabilities.”
The senator stressed that the challenges faced by people with disabilities should not be viewed in isolation but rather as a broader societal issue. He noted: “Everything that affects you as a citizen of this country, also affects persons with disabilities and their ability to navigate the systems in the context of the prevailing circumstances, is made more difficult by the fact that they are persons with disabilities.”
While Barbados has been seen as lagging behind in the region regarding legislation protecting the rights of disabled people, Senator Boyce expressed pride in the changes now enacted. He mentioned that at least six other Caribbean countries already have comprehensive legislation on disability issues, and Barbados has learned from their experiences.
The legislation covers many areas aimed at protecting rights for the disabled community, including healthcare, sports, and financial affairs. Senator Boyce expressed particular interest in the education sector, which he believes has long needed revamping to better serve people living with disabilities.
He shared his personal experience, stating, “I have spoken in this place before about the fact that the classroom was the place that reminded me most often that I was a person with a disability. And that it meant that it [limited] what the world thought I could achieve.”
The new legislation also establishes a right to quality education for people with disabilities, addressing a longstanding issue in the country’s educational system.
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