As the Jamaican nation continues to grow in its awareness for the need to create a society that is fully accessible to persons with disabilities, The Maia Chung Autism and Disabilities Foundation (MCADF) is issuing an urgent call to all its members and persons with disabilities (PWDs) to register with the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities.
The JCPD maintains an ongoing registration of persons with disabilities as a part of its core function, in order to gather data that will inform better provisions for the nation’s disabled – by the State.
The JCPD has just in the last half of this year; revealed a more aggressive thrust in the area of, getting more disabled Jamaicans into its database and the MCADF fully supports the JCPD’s stance.
The leadership of the MCADF indicates it understands and supports the need for data, for use by the Government to put in place more and adequate provisions for all persons affected by disabilities, who live in Jamaica.
According to MCAD Foundation head Maia Chung, some of the responsibility for creating better conditions PWDs, lies with the affected, so all the disabled need to try and get onto the JCPD’s database.
In just an anecdotal assessment the MCADF leadership through its field work it is obvious that the true number of persons living with some of disability is not known at the State level.
The JCPD’s database of persons with disabilities is crucial, in the work to have more changes enacted to help the disabled, as it is official agency of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MLSS) – which has oversight responsibility for ensuring that Jamaicans with disabilities are better served and have access to all the opportunities to lead full, productive lives.
The figures are crucial in the area of policy change both agencies agree – which form the most significant type of intervention for this segment of the population; that any Government can do.
The Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities is one of the main information and data feeding organizations of Jamaica, upon which the Government relies for specifics and numbers; about the community of persons with challenges -to ensure that the services for the disabled match the allocation of resources.
The JCPD also promotes and protects the rights of persons with disabilities in accordance with national policies, plans and programmes, within the legislative framework.
It facilitates the educational, economic and social development of persons with disabilities in Jamaica in a collaborative and participatory atmosphere, through counseling, training, public education and the provision of other relevant services.
Chung explained, “that it is easy to understand how so many remained unregistered, as a mother of an Autistic child myself, when you are in the thick of the many problems of a disability, sometimes the last thing on your mind is registration… and in many cases policy and how it will bring about real and tangible changes… are not things you dwell on or are at the forefront of your mind”.
“I must admit that my son, who is diagnosed as severely Autistic is not registered with the JCPD yet, firstly because I never even thought along those lines, and secondly I was unaware that I was to do so…until dialoguing with the Executive Director of the JCPD Christine Hendriks as recently as a month ago” – Chung admitted.
According to the Managing Director of the MCADF, “if I did not know or was not thinking along those lines, can you imagine the thousands we serve who are not registered and so the Government will have no true numbers or data on our population to add to its planning and policy making systems as we are just not on the radar”.
She says that , “after becoming aware of the need to log into the JCPD database; I found that checking anecdotally among my clients with Autism many are not registered with the JCPD and unfortunately some do not even know that they are to” – says Chung.
Outside of the state benefits allocated to persons with disabilities upon registration with the JCPD, registration helps provide the Government with a more accurate reflection of the numbers of persons who need help, and the varying disabilities that are being contended with by the citizenry.
Chung added, “One thing I do understand is the importance of numbers in a situation where change is needed, as with the numbers and types of disabilities and their prevalence – the national budget can be planned with this demographic in mind …with accuracy and efficacy”.
“With numbers and breakdowns also long term planning becomes more impactful as State officials are not stabbing in the dark, but working with actual valid data” – Chung.
She adds that in her Foundation’s exposure to what now pertains, through interaction with the leadership of the JCPD, has made it apparent that too many PWDs are not registered with the JCPD, and as such services that the entity provides are going unused…by persons that really need them.
The JCPD’s heightened registration drive of all persons with disabilities falls in line, according to that entity with the, “JCPD’s new strategic plan that has been developed in the context of Vision 2030… from which the following goals and strategies have been identified:
1. To guarantee persons with disabilities all human rights within the society;
2. To promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities in all sphere of society; and
3. To assume a proactive role in the prevention of new disabilities.
In addition the JCPD has articulated that the over 30 year old organization will be enhancing its organizational development, policy, legal and regulatory framework, public awareness, education and training and monitoring and evaluation”.
Looking to become more effective; the JCPD will be working assiduously on stakeholder collaboration and cooperation, as a pivotal achievement of the various strategies and actions it has designed in its latest strategic plan.
On Monday November 19-2012 the JCPD staged its inaugural Disability Friendly Awards at the Wyndham Kingston Hotel in Jamaica. The Gala was a Jamaica 50 endorsed event.
The JCPD in an effort to also show the disabled community in a less forlorn light, cited among its objectives with that Gala - the assurance that all persons who live with challenges receive equity throughout all areas of society.
The theme of the gala was Jamaica Removing Barriers…Creating Access which is this year’s United Nation’s 2012 World Disability theme.
Organization of the event is spearheaded by the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD), in tandem with Ministry of Labor Social and Security and the National Advisory Board for Persons with Disabilities.
Among the JCPD’s key objectives, with the Disabilities Friendly Gala was to be a catalyst for further development among the general populace; of disabilities friendly places of work, study, entertainment and less stigmatization.
The Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities has offices at 18 Ripon Rd Kingston 5 and can be contacted by phone at 968-8373/926-9374-5/968-0623 or at 92 Hanover Street Downtown Kingston, telephone 922-5585
and fax 906-8555.
The JCPD is on the web at www.mlss.gov.jm or members of the public can email them at jcpd@cwjamaica.com or jcpdevents@mlss.gov.jm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqTzAN52WaY&list=UU3wVK5lEEgkyEtKfDhYfReA&index=2&feature=plcp
