President Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday pledged Gy$20 million towards the development and improving the livelihoods of persons living with disabilities in Guyana.
President Jagdeo addressing members of disability groups at the Police Officer Mess
Jagdeo made this announcement when he met with members of several disability groups at the Police Officer Mess, Eve Leary on November 10. This initiative, he said, should allow the National Commission on Disability (NCD) to further advance their work, making the lives of persons living with disabilities more comfortable and meaningful.
The president said despite the fact that much has been done to improve the lives of persons living with disabilities, there is still much more that needs to be done in order to bring further development to this group of Guyanese. “We have sought to correct this and the Persons with Disability Act hopefully will give us the framework, to ensure that we have legislation protection and legislative measures to create and advance this environment that I speak of”. Jagdeo said even though he will be demitting office, the work will continue and is expected to see greater success.
He believes that these plans can become a reality, now that an act is in place to ensure that persons living with disabilities have equal opportunities, as other Guyanese. Jagdeo thanked Leon Walcott, the chairman of the Council of Organisations for Persons Living with Disabilities, and Evelyn Hamilton, administrative officer of the National Commission on Disability, for their many efforts to ensure that the disabled lead more productive lives in society.
Jagdeo said the work will continue by his colleagues. Arrangements, he revealed, have also been made to enable the disabled to work in call centres soon.
Additionally, government will also be building a new school similar to the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre to provide similar services. The president also reiterated that government has not only made the poorer class of people the first set of beneficiaries of its One Laptop Per Family project, but the differently-able as well. He encouraged the Council of Organisations, to have deliberations before coming up with suggestions as to how the Gy$20 million will be spent to improve the lives of persons living with disabilities.
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