A NATIONAL Household Survey to document statistics on persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) is expected to commence within a few weeks, and will be conducted by the National Commission on Disability.

Funding for the survey is among the measures outlined in the 2022 National Budget to cater to needs of this vulnerable group of persons. The survey is expected to take approximately three months to complete.

With Region Four accounting for the largest section of Guyana’s population, this survey to capture data on the PWD is considered to be of critical importance as it will provide a better understanding of Guyana’s PWD situation.

“As with any marginalised group or subset of the population, knowing where the people are helps you to better plan.  It helps in a major way,” commented Ganesh Singh, Programme Coordinator of the Guyana Council of Organisations for PWD.

“Once you know the number of persons you can advocate and better plan. And it’s not just in planning but in service delivery both from the government’s perspective and the perspective of civil society. Government will be able to plan programmes, whether it’s building of special needs schools or implementing training programmes,” he added.

The survey will be a continuation of the national survey that commenced in 2019, in which Regions Two, Three, Five, and Ten were assessed. A pilot survey was also done in 2016 in Region Six.

Those surveys revealed that there were 11,713 PWD living in those regions. Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) had 3,896 PWD, the highest number recorded. Region Six (East Corentyne Berbice) followed with 3,262.

Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), according to the survey had 1,249 PWD; Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) 1,588 and Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), 1,718.

According to UN statistics, over one billion people or approximately 15 per cent of the world’s population live with some form of disability. Guyana’s Ministry of Health (MoH) had said that PWD account for approximately 50,000 persons or 6.4 per cent of the population.
Singh said: “As a disability organisation we have been able to use the data to provide services for persons with disability.”

This year, other PWD measures included in the 2022 budget includes the development of a national classroom for autistic children through a collaboration between the Ministry of Health and the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre.

On this initiative, Singh said: “This will definitely help in ensuring that the children can have access to other services. Let us be hopeful it would be a success and can be replicated in other regions.”

Civil works is also expected to continue at the Centre for Disability, while the construction of a new care centre at the Mahaica Hospital for children living with disabilities will commence. Additionally, two wheelchair buses will be purchased to aid in the transport of residents from the Mahaica Hospital and Training Complex.

Singh lauded these measures as significant developments for the PWD community.
“Especially with the provisions to further complete the training centre in Mahaica, we are very pleased with that. It is very significant in helping with the empowerment of PWD,” said Singh, who is visually impaired.

“It is significant, because in that area there is nothing really for PWD, so this training centre, once completed, will be able to provide opportunities on the lower East Coast and even see people from Region Five benefitting…because they will have the accessible bus to transport people.”
Over the years, Singh has been instrumental in continuously advocating for better assistance for PWD.

“We are also very happy about the two [wheelchair] buses to take people to training, and the provision for the National Commission on Disability to get the money to do National Household Survey,” Singh said.

In also catering for the PWD, the public assistance was increased from $12,000 to $14,000, which will see an additional $432 million in disposable income going towards 18,000 persons.

However, Singh noted that: “The public assistance increase, in as much as we as a community do appreciate that, persons were expecting something more substantial with the cost of living increasing. Based on our feedback, people are not too pleased with that.”