By Rehana Ahamad
ONE of the most important components of the Christmas season is the preparation for it. This very critical aspect involves much cleaning and shopping. While many of us aren’t always fond of the cleaning, we do find much joy in buying goodies for ourselves and those we love. Unfortunately, Persons With Disabilities (PWD) are prevented from fully indulging in the latter joy, because certain parts of our beloved Georgetown aren’t conducive to their mobility. Ganesh Singh, Programme Coordinator of the Guyana Council of Organizations for Persons With Disabilities, lamented this fact during an interview with the Guyana Chronicle. Singh said that although they may want to, many persons with disabilities avoid going out to shop, especially during the Christmas season. He made specific reference to limited access to stores, as many of these are not wheelchair-accessible.

“Even if they (wheelchair users) have persons to accompany them, they can’t even enter some of the stores,” Singh noted. This can be attested to by Uttamkumar Isurdeen, a wheelchair user who refuses to allow disability-related challenges to keep him down. “I guess because of my willpower and so, I try my best to manage on my own, but it is difficult, because many of the stores are inaccessible,” Isurdeen maintained. A mere walk down Regent Street would reveal that many stores do not have wheelchair ramps. As a matter of fact, most business entrances have been modified to become less accessible to persons with disabilities, boasting of steps and in some cases, unreasonably high stumps. Many businesses have defended their modifications, explaining that it is a mechanism to protect their entities from steady floods. Isurdeen maintained that while businesses are not entirely at fault, some remedies should be instituted to ensure inclusivity for persons with disabilities.

“Even though we might want to send somebody to buy something for us, or we might buy something online, it is not the same. I believe that anybody, when they want to buy something, they want to examine it properly…they want to feel it and so before they buy it,” the athlete related. Because of these very accessibility challenges, Linden make-up artist and fashion diva, Setra Oselmo has not done any of her own shopping in almost 14 years. “I usually take pictures of what I want, and I ask people to buy it for me,” she explained. Meanwhile, Singh lamented the need for heightened sensitivity from business places and sales persons. “For instance, a blind person who doesn’t have somebody to accompany them would need help with finding and getting the explanation for a product, and not many people are willing to provide that kind of assistance,” Singh stated.

The local broadcasted also expressed concerns with regard to the use, or more specifically, the misuse of city pavements and pathways. He said that the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown are aware of the aforementioned grievances, and have promised that the concerns would be addressed and rectified in a new building code for the city. Mayor Ubraj Narine had told this newspaper that the draft document is currently under consultation, with no timeline attached. Singh noted too that engagements have been hosted with the government of Guyana with the hope that inclusivity would prevail, and in excess of 50,000 persons with disabilities would be able to indulge in their independence, as meaningful contributors to society.