Dear Editor,
“Registration for children’s disability grant…” rings of a very necessary and positive move across Guyana. So, from the onset, I congratulate the Human Services and Social Security Ministry, that is working through the National Commission on Disability (NCD), to make this entire process a reality. This is a ‘one-off grant’ but I feel very strongly that much more is in the offing as regards children 18 years and under, who are living with disabilities. I note that the requirement is that parents and guardians will have to have them, the disability victims, registered with the NCD, as only some are already in the database. Again, I heap kudos on those who are at the forefront of this venture.
Let me emphasize that this is not a ‘Guyana’ thing as such. We need to know that at the global level, that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is to” … promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.”
The word from the Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud, is that she is “… eager to get the process underway … and highlighting that this exercise is geared at capturing every single child living with a disability.” Humane and noble this attitude is and it fits right into the general framework of the government, as it is reflective of a Guyana that is committed to the betterment of the lives of persons living with disabilities. What is nice to note, the idea is not about ‘handouts’ as I see that “The Ministry is already in the process of completing a training centre for persons with disabilities and has already begun providing training for persons living with disabilities.” Why?
This is so because the goal is to get persons with disabilities, to be independent as much as possible. This, as we all know, will be a big boost to their dignity and human worth. Already, there is a significant improvement in the catering for these less fortunate as the government has upped the ante regarding its commitment to serving and supporting persons living with disabilities, including children, as exemplified in providing free assistive aids, including wheelchairs, white canes, and hearing aid, and free technical vocational and ICT training.
I recall that a major outcome of the International Year of Disabled Persons was the formulation of the World Programme of Action, concerning Disabled Persons, adopted by the General Assembly on 3 December 1982. This has to do with a global strategy to enhance disability prevention, rehabilitation and equalization of opportunities, which pertains to full participation of persons with disabilities in social life and national development. The WPA, at the time, also emphasized the need to approach disability from a human rights perspective. This must sink into us. It is that “Equalization of opportunities is about the achievement of full participation of persons with disabilities in all aspects of social and economic life.” So, issues concerning persons with disabilities should not be treated in isolation, but within the context of normal community services.”
Yours truly,
H. Singh.
