WITH just a few more days to the nation’s 63rd Independence Day celebrations, the Trinidad and Tobago Blind Welfare Association (TTBWA) is calling upon government to enact specific, comprehensive legislation to protect the rights of persons with disabilities.
TTBWA says it should be with full compliance to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
In a statement on Thursday, the Association said, “Independence gave us the freedom to chart our own destiny, but true independence will only be achieved when every citizen regardless of ability can participate fully, equally, and with dignity in the life of our nation.”
Such laws must ensure that:
· All national policies, procedures, and services include a disability component that guarantees accessibility and equitable participation.
· Products and services are designed with all users in mind including persons with disabilities through universal design and consultation with the disability community.
· Education, employment, healthcare, transport, housing, and cultural life are fully inclusive and accessible.
· Compliance mechanisms are put in place to ensure accountability, not just intent.
TTBWA Executive Officer Kenneth Surratt referenced the nation’s watchwords of Discipline, Tolerance and Production.
“Discipline calls us to the responsibility of ensuring justice and equality for all citizens, tolerance reminds us of the strength we gain through diversity and inclusion and production challenges us to harness the skills and talents of every citizen, including those with disabilities, in nation-building,” he said.
He also referenced the national motto, “Together We Aspire, Together We Achieve”.
Surratt said, “Aspiration without inclusion is incomplete. Achievement without accessibility leaves too many behind. A united and sustainable Trinidad and Tobago demands that persons with disabilities are fully part of our national journey forward.”
He said, “As we celebrate 63 years of independence, let us commit to a vision of a nation where independence is real for every citizen. Protecting the rights of persons with disabilities is not optional, it is a constitutional, moral, and international obligation. Accessibility, equity, and inclusion must become the pillars of our national development strategy if Trinidad and Tobago is to be truly free, just, and sustainable.”
Suratt said the TTBWA stands ready to partner with government, civil society, and the private sector to create a Trinidad and Tobago that reflects the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and sustainability.
