Legislation is coming soon to protect the rights of the disabled community in Jamaica.
State Minister for Labour and Social Security, Senator Floyd Morris, who is also blind/visually impaired, announced on Friday that his ministry had received a preliminary draft of the bill from the Office of the Chief Parliamen-tary Counsel (CPC), the body set up to craft Jamaican law.
Speaking in the State of the Nation debate in the Senate, Senator Morris said his ministry had reviewed the document and sent it back to the CPC.
Consultation
"As soon as we receive the corrected draft, we are going to hit the road for consultation with the public as it relates to the legislation," he said.
He also mentioned Jamaica's recent participation in the draft International Convention for the Protection of Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities at the United Nations.
The junior minister said that while the country had made strides in improving the quality of life of the disabled, it was pivotal that Jamaica be among the first set of countries to sign the new convention.
