– Walcott
GUYANA Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities will soon host a needs assessment workshop for persons within its target group.
The President, Mr. Leon Walcott said the purpose is to assist participants to take advantage of their right to be participate in the general elections process.
The announcement follows the last week hand over to the organisaton, by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through its governance enhancement project, US$18,000 to provide disabled and their families with tools to improve their ability take part in the voting.
USAID Guyana Mission Director, Ms. Carol Horning said, then, that the grant is aimed at increasing participation in elections, by different audiences, through the provision of information and encouragement of a peaceful process.
Walcott said the needs assessment is the first step and, once that workshop has been completed, they will have a plan on how to move forward, with the focus on educating the targeted on their rights, as well as on getting the unregistered persons registered.
“We will make use of the Claims and Objections period because we estimate that at least 70 percent of persons with disabilities have never been registered and many of those who were have never voted,” he explained.
Walcott asserted that the Disability Movement is on the move and afflicted persons are being exposed to better realties, a better life to which they are entitled but have been disenfranchised by negative attitudes and behaviours.
“There are a number of persons with disabilities who were registered in the past but have not been able to vote because they did not have the physical support to get to the polling stations or were not assisted to cast their ballots because of uncooperative officers,” he claimed.

Realities

Walcott said those are the realities the Disability Movement hopes to change.
“We will have an elections officer at the workshop. So we will be moving forward in collaboration with GECOM (Guyana Elections Commission). More and more people are recognising that persons with disabilities are people with rights that must be respected,” he added.
Walcott said the Council welcomes support aimed at strengthening the organisation and advancing the interests of persons with disabilities.
He said, in making future advances, the ultimate goal is providing persons with disabilities with as normal a life as possible, free from discrimination and where they enjoy their human rights.
Walcott said partnerships with different sections of society aid efforts that seek to provide more opportunities for persons with disabilities, a fulfillment of the rights of differently-able persons.
“We have the legislative backing with the Disability Act and we are moving ahead. More and more persons with disabilities are being respected,” he observed.
Walcott maintains that differently-able persons have much potential and deserve an opportunity to realise that potential and live a fulfilled life.
The Guyana Persons with Disability Act was passed in the National Assembly and assented to by President Bharrat Jagdeo in the latter part of 2010.