A participant (right) at 'Enable '06' shows Aloun Assamba (left), Minister of Tourism, Entertainment and Culture; Senator Floyd Morris (centre), State Minister in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security; and Maureen Webber, chairperson for the National Advisory Board on Disability, some craft items made by a person with disabilities, at the opening ceremony held at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston, on Wednesday. - JUNIOR DOWIE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
THE GOVERNMENT is now advanced in the development of two pieces of legislation to support disabled persons seeking employment.
According to Derrick Kellier, Minister of Labour and Social Security, the National Assistance Act and the National Disability Act should become law shortly.
Among other things the laws will seek to discourage discrimi-nation against persons with disabilities.
Mr. Kellier was speaking via multi-media presentation, during the opening ceremony for 'Enable '06', an exposition for persons with disabilities, at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston, on Wednesday.
Labour Ministry statistics indicate that, of the 250,000 disabled persons in Jamaica, only one per cent is employed.
SOCIAL STIGMA
"There can be no justifiable reason or distinction between work for a person who has a disability and normal Jamaicans," said Mr. Kellier.
He further said the Labour Ministry would be adopting the United Nations Convention for persons with disabilities.
Meanwhile, Aloun Assamba, Minister of Tourism, Entertainment and Culture, said the social stigma towards disabled persons has made it more difficult for them to access training and education.
"This damaging attitude cannot continue," she insisted. "Our greatest asset is our people and we cannot afford to depreciate our asset by abandoning a large block of our population."
Ms. Assamba challenged Jamaicans to adopt a radically different approach to the disabled, and demanded that members of the private sector help to empower them.
The Tourism Minister also said the process to make educational institutions more accessible to persons with disabilities should be accelerated.
