By Sue-Ann Wayow
JUST over 52,000 persons in Trinidad and Tobago have a disability. This represents four per cent of the population.
So said Minister of Social Development and Family Services Donna Cox on Monday.
She said information derived from the 2011 Population and Housing Census, estimated that there were approximately 52,244 persons living with a disability.
The Ministry of Social Development and Family Services was also reviewing the National Policy on Persons with Disabilities.
“We are also reviewing the legislation with a view to ensuring alignment with the United Nation Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,” Cox said.
The minister was speaking at the 10th annual conference hosted by the Down Syndrome Family Network (DSFN) at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad Hotel to commemorate World Down Syndrome Day.
Cox spoke about projects to engage persons with disabilities adding that in the last three years, the ministry provided over $132 million in subventions and one-off grants to organisations supporting persons with disabilities.
She stated that from March 2022 to December 2024, the ministry will be working jointly with the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) on a number of projects.
These projects would be related to capacity building of the members of the organisations that work with persons with disabilities including policy advisors, legal staff and support technicians across the government ministries, reviewing and amending key pieces of legislation to support the inclusion of persons with disabilities and establishing guidelines for the collection of disability data that will be consistent with international standards among others.
“These initiatives will create a deeper level of collaboration among the community of persons with disabilities, government and the private sector,” Cox said.
She also said, “We are also currently in the process of reviewing the Ministry’s Disability Assistance Grant and other similar type programmes that are accessed by persons with disabilities. The purpose of this project is to ensure that our grants and programmes are meeting the needs of persons with disabilities and further, to ensure that the right persons are able to access these grants.”
These initiatives form a part of the Action Plan of the National Policy on Persons with Disability to ensure an adequate standard of living for persons with disabilities.
The minister said the ministry was aware of the struggles of non-governmental organisations and has been hosting capacity-building workshops for NGOs that provide services for persons with disabilities, to ensure that they are capable of performing at optimal levels and were better able to efficiently serve the community of persons with disabilities.
The Ministry was also preparing an “easy read” version of the National Policy on Persons with Disabilities to ensure persons with intellectual disabilities are aware of their rights, Cox said.
And the Social Development Ministry was also collaborating with the Ministry of Digital Transformation to ensure that all of the Ministry’s digital platforms are fully accessible to persons with disabilities.
The minister congratulated the members of Down Syndrome Family Network for their vision and commitment to persons with Down syndrome in this nation and pledged continued support.
