Speed up implementation of the Disabilities Act -- Morris

A call has been made for the government to speed up implementation of the Disabilities Act.

The legislation, which was passed by the Parliament in 2014, seeks to ensure full participation and inclusion of persons with disabilities in the society and provides important safeguards to enhance their welfare.

Opposition Senator Floyd Morris, in his contribution to the State of the Nation Debate in the Senate yesterday, said he is aware of initiatives by the Social Security Ministry that would “put the Minister in a position to set the effective date for the legislation.”

“But the fact of the matter is it cannot be that four years has elapsed since the Parliament, this honourable chamber, passed the Disabilities Act and we have not yet seen the implementation of the legislation,” Morris said.

“We need to move with alacrity to make sure that the Disabilities Act is implemented,” he urged.

Among the main objectives of the legislation are reinforcing and promoting the recognition and acceptance, within Jamaica, of the principle that a person with a disability has the same fundamental rights as any other person and promoting individual dignity and autonomy, including the freedom of choice and independence of a person with a disability.

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