$40 Million Allocated to Assist Persons with Disabilities

As the Government works to improve the economic and social well being of persons with disabilities, a sum of $40 million has been set aside in the 2014/15 Estimates of Expenditure, to further assist this group.

The money has been provided under the Social and Economic Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities project, which seeks to increase the employ-ability and skills development of poor persons with disabilities (ages 18 to 36 years).

The project also aims to improve the service delivery of special education needs of poor children with disabilities between ages zero to six years.

Since the project was launched in 2013, an action plan has been developed to address issues about the disability population; and eight non-Governmental Organisations were contracted to provide services to 250 persons with disabilities.

In addition, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) for infrastructural development activities of the Early Stimulation Programme.

Tenders were also invited for consultants to provide needs and capacity assessment for non-state actors and non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), in order to provide skills and training for persons with disabilities.

The project, which is scheduled to end in June 2016, is being funded by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.