Declaration for 2023 National Youth with Disabilities Conference

DECLARATION 2ND NATIONAL YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES CONFERENCE

The below declaration was developed by the participants of the recently concluded 2nd National Youth with Disabilities Conference which was held on November 24th and 25th, 2023 at the University of Guyana (UG) Turkeyen Campus.  This 2nd annual conference was implemented in partnership with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Approximately fifty-four (54) young persons with disabilities from across Guyana were in attendance and were engaged in discussions relating to the current disability landscape in Guyana and the necessary improvements required to positively impact the lives of persons with disabilities.

The contents of the declaration highlight the pertinent areas in which young persons with disabilities would like changes to be made.

  There are five core areas of the declaration in keeping with the objectives of the conference.

Leadership, Governance and Political Participation

• Persons with Disabilities who possess the necessary qualifications should be encouraged to be a part of the legislative, judicial, and executive arms of government and any barriers that hinders this process be removed;
• The Local Authority (Elections) Act, Chapter 28:03, should be amended to remove Section 40 (2) © that bar persons with disabilities who receive public assistance from running for local government office;
• The relevant legislations should be amended to promote independent accessible voting for persons with disabilities and all administrative measures implemented by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to promote accessible and inclusive voting for persons with disabilities;
• Youths with disabilities should be represented on the President’s Youth Advisory Council and all other similar bodies and be meaningfully engaged by the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sports;
•  All government ministries and agencies should have a disability inclusion policy to guide the delivery of service and accommodation of persons with disabilities;

Climate Change

• Persons with disabilities should be consulted and their needs incorporated in all disaster preparedness and response policies and plans that includes disability specific evacuation measures;
• There should be more research in the area of climate change and the impact on the population of persons with disabilities;

Food Security

• There should be a special programme to facilitate improved food security among the disability community through the promotion of sustainable farming among persons with disabilities and the provision of planting materials, equipment and technical support;
• There should be the provision of food vouchers/ stamps to those persons with disabilities who are financially challenged to facilitate their food security;

Employment

The Guyana Disability Act should be amended to:

• Increase the penalties for employers who discriminate against employees with disabilities and strengthen the reporting mechanism for cases of discrimination;
• Exempt persons with disabilities from paying PAYE or income tax if their income is below $2,400,000 per year;
• Encourage private sector to employ qualified and skilled persons with disabilities through the granting of tax concessions and other special concessions;
• There should be mandatory disability sensitivity training sessions for employers and staff on disability rights, non-discrimination, and reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities. 
• Ensure all government agencies budget to provide reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities;
• Allow for government ministries and agencies to have a minimum of 5% of employees with disabilities if they employ more than 20 persons;
• There should be special job fairs targeting persons with disabilities;

Accessibility

• The relevant legislations and policies including the Guyana Disability Act should be amended and strengthen to ensure that all public buildings are fully accessible for all persons with disabilities, with strict enforcement and timelines for implementation.  This should include, ramps, elevators, wide doorways, corridors, accessible washrooms, etc.;
• The built environment inclusive of sidewalks, roadways, etc. should be modified or made accessible in compliance with the Universal Design to ensure full accessibility and independence of persons with disabilities;
• Traffic signals, pedestrian crossings and other similar systems should be retrofitted or made accessible to accommodate persons with disabilities;
• There should be a special accessible transportation service to transport persons with disabilities at a subsidized cost in the absence of a structured public transportation provider or system;
• All information for public dissemination should be accessible for persons who are deaf, persons who are blind and persons with learning disabilities.  Additionally, all websites should be accessible in compliance with the international guidelines;
• All textbooks and other materials should be available in an accessible alternative format to accommodate persons with disabilities.  This includes braille and audio books, sign language and lose captioning videos, etc.;