Dr. Floyd Morris Commended for Advocating for Persons with Disabilities

Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, has lauded Jamaica’s first blind Senator and former Senate President, Dr. Floyd Morris, for his lifelong dedication to improving the lives of persons with disabilities.

The Governor-General praised Dr. Morris for his tireless pursuit for excellence and commitment to civic duty, which has assisted in shaping public policy.

“We celebrate his triumph over adversity, the power of faith, and the importance of an inclusive social outlook. This has helped to make an important contribution to public knowledge,” he said.

The Governor-General was speaking at the launch of Senator Morris’ book, ‘By Faith, Not by Sight’ on November 7 at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Regional Headquarters, Mona.

He also congratulated Dr. Morris on his recent achievement of yet another milestone, earning his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree from the UWI. Dr. Morris received the PhD after defending his thesis titled: ‘Mediated Political Communication in Modern Jamaica: Cases of Michael Manley, Edward Seaga and Percival James Patterson’.

The autobiography chronicles Dr. Morris’ life from his humble beginnings as a young boy growing up in rural St. Mary, his personal struggles in coming to terms with blindness when he lost his vision at age 20 from glaucoma, and his journey to the Senate where he championed the cause of persons in the disabled community as a Senator and as Junior Minister for Social Security.

It is published by local publishing house, ImagiNation Books and is now available at Kingston Bookshop, University Bookshop, Sangster’s Book Store, Bookophilia and the audio edition is to be made available shortly.

Meanwhile, guest speaker at the launch, former Prime Minister, the Most Hon. P. J. Patterson, praised Dr. Morris for his work during his time as a Senator.

He said Dr. Morris properly articulated the concerns of the persons with disabilities and assisted in bringing greater visibility to the issues related to disabilities.

“He took charge of a subject within the Ministry and gave it day-to-day leadership as someone who understood the conceptual policies and programmes relating to those with disabilities and as one who knew the agony and awesome challenges of disability arising from his own experience. He ensured that this discourse was translated into political action,” Mr. Patterson said.

In his response, Dr. Morris called for ongoing assistance for the disabled community.

He suggested that the 2018 National Labour Day activities should focus on retrofitting one primary and high school in each constituency for access by disabled persons.

“I am calling upon the nation to make sure that we place emphasis on educating our disabled population,” Dr. Morris said.

Others offering commendation to Dr. Morris were Principal of the UWI, Professor Archibald McDonald; Managing Director of the RJR Group, Gary Allen; and Director of the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC), Professor Hopeton Dunn.

Also attending the launch were several members of the Government, Opposition, the public service as well as former Prime Ministers, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, Mr. Bruce Golding and the Most Hon. Edward Seaga.