Awareness is the main challenge for the disability movement now that the Disability Act has been passed in the National Assembly.
And according to Leon Walcott, Chairman of the Guyana Council of Organizations for Persons with Disabilities, this has to be done at all levels.
“The last time the Council met we agreed on several initiatives to move this forward. The passage of the Act is very encouraging,” he said.
Getting the Act to where it is has been a long journey for stakeholders. It began in 2005 and by 2006 consultations were finished. The final draft was completed in 2007 and the Bill was finally passed in June. The report of the Special Parliamentary Select Committee on the Bill was unanimously adopted, and then the Bill was taken through its final reading. The Bill gives persons with disabilities the right to access services and realize their full potential.
Walcott told the Guyana Chronicle that a draft sensitization plan has been developed to assist all stakeholders to better understand the provisions made in the Act.
“To simplify the Act, we have entered into discussions with lawyers to put the legalese into simple language,” he said.
However, the Chairman noted that there is only so much that can be done currently, since President Bharrat Jagdeo still has to assent to it.
Walcott explained that Guyana signed on to the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities, but has yet to ratify it.
“Once the legislation is in place, then Guyana will be able to ratify the convention,” he said. “By signing on to it, we say we agree, and once it is ratified then it means Guyana is prepared to meet the requirements of the Convention.”
To date the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has 146 signatories and 89 ratifications.
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an agreement by countries around the world to make sure that people with disabilities and people without disabilities are treated equally. The Convention was adopted on December 13, 2006. By 2nd  April 2008, 20 countries had ratified the Convention.
The Convention guides stakeholders in the exercising of their rights. It also defines the actions governments must take to help all people with disabilities realize their rights.
The rights in this Convention are not new. They are the same human rights recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international human rights treaties. The Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities guarantee that these rights are respected for people with disabilities.
The principles of this Convention are:
* Respect for everyone’s inherent dignity, freedom to make their own choices and independence;
* Non-discrimination (treating everyone fairly);
* Full participation and inclusion in society (being included in your community);
* Respect for differences and accepting people with disabilities as part of human diversity;
* Equal opportunity;
* Accessibility (having access to transportation, places and information, and not being refused access because of a a disability);
* Equality between men and women (having the same opportunities whether you are a girl or a boy); and
* Respect for the evolving capacity of children with disabilities and their right to preserve their identity (being respected for your abilities and proud of who you are).
Walcott stressed that it is important for everyone to be aware of the provisions under both the Disability Act and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The Chairman of the Guyana Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Programme, Gregory Glasgow said, “Even among some persons with disabilities, we have to do more awareness. At the NDC (Neighbourhood Democratic Council), the RDC (Regional Democratic Council) and the grassroots level we have much work to do.”
In an invited comment, he stated that while there are challenges, the disability movement will continue with its efforts, since it has come a long way.

IMPLEMENTATION

The National Commission on Disability (NCD) is responsible for addressing implementation, monitoring and also sensitization to the provisions made under the Act.
Administrator of NCD, Ms. Beverly Pile, said the real work has now begun.
Mrs. Barbara Lawrence, Director of Ministry of Health’s Rehabilitation Services, adding her views, said the Bill must now be translated into action.
“It must be translated into action to improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities,” she said.
Lawrence acknowledged that there is still much to do, but said her department will do its part.