-Min. Persaud says

THE Human Services Ministry has been engaging the public and private sectors to find ways to employ persons with a disability, disclosed Minister Vindhya Persaud.

This is in keeping with the promise the Minister made after her assumption to office. She had expressed that her ministry’s main focus will be centered on the elevation of vulnerable groups in society.

“Very early when I got into office, I had engaged the private sector to let them know that we need to start looking for employment for people who are differently-abled or people with disabilities. Because of my interest of working with persons with disabilities, I have been engaging the Deaf Association of Guyana and a number of agencies that deal with disabled persons, including the National Disability Commission,” Minister Persaud told Guyana Chronicle during a recent interview.

Additionally, Coursera courses were created in partnership with the Ministry of Education for special needs individuals, as a means of allowing them to access certificates. It was also noted that the integration of special needs individuals into the public and private working environment will be done on varying levels with equal pay.

“Because I understood too, that training is a different and difficult thing for them to access, I reached out to my colleague, Priya Manickchand and we got Coursera courses for the disability groups. The courses were shared with the National Disability Commission and the Deaf Association of Guyana so that people can have access to some certificates,” she related.

The minister informed that her ministry, in going forward, will ensure that the services the afore-mentioned group accesses on a daily basis are provided in a way that’s convenient, considerate, and respectful.

“In ensuring that we not only understand their needs but we respect them, we have also worked on PSA’s with the Deaf Association that allowed them to express what their dreams are. That process made me realize how important it is to communicate with people in the way in which they feel comfortable… many people don’t access services because it isn’t offered in a way that appeals to them,” the minister said.

On August 12, the Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities (GCOPD) had expressed that they were looking forward to working along with the government to improve the content of Guyana’s Disability Act.
The Council had also noted that there were hoping to see improvements in the scale of special education needs so that children with disabilities would have more opportunities to gain a meaningful education.

It was also posited by GCOPD Programme Coordinator, Ganesh Singh, that the body would further like to see the provision of low-income house lots for persons with disabilities, and a small percentage of all government jobs being given to such persons who are qualified or skilled.

“We want them to have employment, or they should be given a disability grant monthly so that they may be able to live a much better life,” Singh said.

Towards a more independent life, Singh said buildings should become more accessible, whether in the form of wheelchair ramps, elevators or lifts so that those in wheelchairs can conduct their business without having to depend on others.

More importantly, the Council is expected to target amendments to existing legislation to ensure that persons with disabilities, especially those who are blind, can vote independently using templates or whatever provisions are available.

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