Discrimination Hinders Development of Persons with Disabilities – JCPD

Executive Director of the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD), Christine Hendricks, is calling for an end to all forms of discrimination against persons with disabilities (PWD), noting that this is the greatest barrier to their development and full participation in society.

“The attitude of people, who say you do not belong, poses the greatest hindrance to the development of persons with disabilities. Persons with impairments are not allowed to go to school, because parents are so embarrassed,” she lamented.

Mrs. Hendricks was addressing a forum hosted by the Central Jamaica Conference of Seventh-day Adventists on December 16 at Camp Verley in St. Catherine.

She said that the prejudices are often fostered by the belief that persons are inflicted with disabilities due to the sins of their ‘foreparents’, which, she noted, is a myth.

She is urging parents of children with disabilities to seek the necessary support to ensure that they attend school, work to build their confidence, and encourage them to take up leadership roles.

Mrs. Hendrickson appealed to the churches to make their buildings disable-friendly and include PWDs in their various activities.

“To feel truly welcome in the church, persons with disabilities need to see people like themselves in leadership roles,” she pointed out.

“They should be on the choir, they should lead praise and worship, be ushers, people who collect the offerings, Sabbath-school teachers, and all the different levels. Once they have the capabilities, they should not be stifled,” she added.