Seven Persons Receive Grants from the JCPD

Seven persons are now the beneficiaries of financial support from the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD,) through the Assistive Aid Grant and the Margaret Moody Scholarship.

Of the beneficiaries, two received the Margaret Moody Scholarship valued at $350,000 each, while five persons were awarded Assistive Aid Grants totalling $300,000 each.

Speaking at the handover ceremony held on Tuesday (December 16), at the JCPD Head Office in Kingston, Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., described the initiative as a powerful demonstration of empowerment and inclusion for persons with disabilities.

“Today we celebrate empowerment…persons with disabilities have taught me some very important lesson…they are not looking for a handout. They are asking for the removal of barriers…for equity and for a fair playing field,” Minister Charles said.

“These aids are essential for enabling education, employment, social participation, personal mobility and improved quality of life,” he added, while noting that many beneficiaries have indicated that access to assistive support, allows them to return to work and live with dignity and independence.

Minister Charles also highlighted the importance of inclusive policymaking, pointing to initiatives such as the Assistive Aid Programme and the Margaret Moody Scholarship as examples of purposeful government intervention.

He reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to strengthening what he described as Jamaica’s “disability ecosystem” through expanded access to assistive technology, enhancing skills training and livelihood opportunities, promoting inclusive education and employment, full implementation of the Disabilities Act and partnering with different stakeholders.

For her part, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Dione Jennings, congratulated the recipients and underscored the Ministry’s continued support for persons with disabilities.

“The Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities play a very key role in ensuring that persons with disabilities are protected and their livelihood is promoted. The grants that will be provided today through this scholarship will provide a vital role in bridging the gap. This will ensure that you’ll have more mobility in carrying out your daily life, in contributing to national development, because we all play a very important role in Jamaica’s development,” Mrs. Jennings said.

Meanwhile, Chairperson of the JCPD’s Social and Economic Empowerment Committee, Gloria Goffe-Smallwood, highlighted the rigorous selection process and the long-term impact of the programme.

“The past 17 years have seen thousands of persons with disabilities benefiting from the social and economic empowerment grant, the assistive aids grant, the rehabilitation grant, and we have seen over 100 benefiting from the Margaret Moody Scholarship Fund,” she said.

She encouraged beneficiaries to view the support not as an entitlement, but as an opportunity for personal development and independence, urging them to become ambassadors for persons with disabilities and the work of the JCPD.

Among the scholarship recipients was University of the West Indies student, Nicola Anderson, who expressed gratitude for the support and pledged to continue advocating for inclusion.

“I am extremely grateful for this opportunity… . I am a young ambassador of ensuring that persons with disabilities are heard and seen, because oftentimes we are forgotten, but I am here to ensure that we will not be forgotten,” Ms. Anderson said.

The Assistive Aid Grant and Margaret Moody Scholarship are administered by the JCPD, in partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, as part of ongoing efforts to promote independence, equity and full participation for persons with disabilities.