Create more facilities for the disabled - Walcott

Create more facilities for the disabled – Walcott

Jan 03, 2012 News

Chairperson of Guyana Council of Organizations for Persons with Disabilities (GCOPD), Leon Walcott, is calling on Government to hasten the creation of more facilities that are user-friendly for persons with disabilities.
According to Walcott, the Persons with Disabilities Act set timelines for the enhancement of public infrastructure to meet the needs of differently-able persons. Government is trying but more effort is needed. To make the necessary adjustments Government must make financial allocations.
He added that the Act provides for the laying down of vital infrastructure such as ramps and rails. Where possible, bottom flats must be utilized for persons living with disabilities.
“The reality is, Guyana is a poor country. It is only these past 10 years or so things that have really been moving apace where disability issues are concerned. We find that more ramps are being built, but sometimes I wonder if these ramps are built for persons with disabilities or to facilitate easy movement of goods in and out of stores,” Walcott said.
He said that a large section of Guyana’s tourism industry is not user-friendly to persons with disabilities.
“Our tourism officials are still not aware of the importance of disability-friendly facilities. An important category of tourists is the retirees, who have the greater disposable income. In most cases when a person is a retiree his physical faculties are going. As such, tourist facilities including resorts should possess disability friendly devices,” Walcott emphasized.
He asserted that to encourage more visitors to Guyana tourist operators need to identify their facilities as disability friendly.
Some of the more established tourist facilities in urban Guyana have not catered for the differently-able.
However, the change must begin with Government placing importance on enhancing infrastructure. The building code makes provisions for the creation of infrastructure for differently-able persons but new buildings are being constructed around the City without these facilities.
Walcott said that some Government buildings are inheritance from the past-residents which have been converted into offices. While some buildings such as Red House is opened to the public and possesses ramps for persons using wheelchairs or buildings do not have such facilities.

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