Key stakeholders in government agencies and the private sector engaged with adults and children living with disabilities at the Unleash Ability Summit held at the Pegasus Suites and Corporate Centre on Tuesday.
This summit was a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, the Ministry of Health, and UNICEF. It aimed to bring to the forefront the importance of acknowledging persons living with disabilities, celebrating their strengths and accomplishments, while listening to their challenges.
These engagements will highlight the core principles of engaging with persons living with disabilities. It will also open a pathway for policies to be crafted that will lead to a more inclusive society.
Minister of Human Services and Social Security Dr Vindhya Persaud was in attendance and delivered the feature address, highlighting her ministry’s mandate to address the needs and challenges of the differently-abled community.
“Through the ministry of Human Services and Social Security, we have done many, many transformational initiatives to improve the lives of persons living with disabilities,” she pointed out.
At this event, a sensitisation session on the Disability Act [2010] was also held to increase awareness of persons living with disabilities.
Significant changes have occurred in the disability landscape over the past five years, with initiatives launched to support this community.
Some initiatives provide financial assistance to beneficiaries, including public assistance, which has been increased this year to $22,000.
A cash grant of $35,000 was introduced to the disability community.
Additionally, collaborations were formed between the Ministry of Human Services and various organisations to offer training opportunities within the agriculture sector, garment construction, information technology and more.
Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony also attended the summit and pointed out the efforts made by the Health Ministry. He stated that a survey was conducted to determine the number of persons living with different forms of disabilities across the country.
“We have found in our survey, for both adults and children, there are close to 24,524 persons across Guyana. And if you look at the different things that affect these persons, we found that close to 6,074 are visually impaired,” the minister pointed out.
People with low vision can access care at a low Vision Centre, and the government’s spectacle voucher programme provides additional support to individuals.
The Government has made significant investments over the years as part of its mandate to provide comprehensive support to the disability community, ensuring easy access to essential services. DPI
