Persons With Disabilities Encouraged to Register With the JCPD

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., is urging persons with disabilities and their families to register with the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD), to access critical services, benefits and support available from the Government.

Speaking at the first JCPD town hall meeting, held at Colonel Cove in Morant Bay, St. Thomas, on June 23, the Minister emphasised that registration is the gateway to a range of programmes and interventions designed to improve the lives of persons with disabilities.

“[There is a] raft of benefits that flow through the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities but for you to get that benefit, you must be registered. Don’t just sit down and talk about what you want. Get up and do something. And the first something that you should do is register yourself,” he said.

Minister Charles Jr. explained that registration allows the Government to better identify and respond to the needs of persons with disabilities, particularly during emergencies and natural disasters.

“Registration allows us to better understand you and to connect with you and to connect with your needs and to provide better access to the available programmes, services, grants and support that are needed, importantly, during times of disaster or national emergencies,” Mr. Charles Jr. said.

Additionally, registration helps individuals access information and support services, including the Disabilities Rights Tribunal, which provides recourse for persons who experience discrimination because of a disability.

Minister Charles Jr. also highlighted that approved concessions and potential tax and customs duty relief may also be available to registered members.

“When you’re registered with the JCPD, you may very well be one of the persons eligible for tax relief. I can’t tell you that all persons are going to be eligible but you have to first be registered, and then you can evaluate whether or not you are one of the persons registered who can get access to tax relief and even customs duty relief in some circumstances,” he explained.

“When you register, that means you’re counted. When you’re counted, it means you can be better served. And when you’re better served, we all move closer to a Jamaica that can say that we truly leave no one behind,” the Minister added.

He also encouraged persons to utilise the ‘I Am Able: My JCPD’ platform, which allows users to register and access information online from the comfort of their homes.

For her part, Executive Director of the JCPD, Dr. Christine Hendricks, said that the town hall meeting “is part of a strategy to ensure that we strengthen the inclusion of persons with disabilities and that we build awareness”.

She explained that the event was intended to ensure that every person with a disability across Jamaica understands their rights and the opportunities available to them.

“There are grants and other support programmes to help you start a business [or] to go to school. We also have scholarships for those who are going to tertiary institutions. We can also help you to walk the journey to employment and education and health resources, and we can provide guidance as to what your rights are under the Disabilities Act,” Dr. Hendricks said.

She also revealed that the Council recently recruited a disability management officer for the parish of St. Thomas who is stationed at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security office in Morant Bay.

The town hall meeting also doubled as an expo, showcasing various branches of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security as well as other government and non-governmental organisations.

Dr. Hendricks said that the series of town hall meetings will continue across the parishes.