JCPD launches St. Thomas town hall series to expand disability registration and rights awareness

The Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities convened its opening parish town hall on Monday at Colonel's Cove in Morant Bay, St. Thomas, marking the start of a national outreach drive focused on registration, service access and disability rights.

Executive director Dr. Christine Hendrick told the gathering that the council exists to uphold the interests of persons with disabilities and to hear community concerns about education, employment, healthcare, transport and physical access. She said St. Thomas had long been underserved but now has a disability management officer, Kelly Bent, based at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security office in Morant Bay.

Labour and Social Security Minister Pearnel Charles Jr. said registration with the JCPD is essential to unlock government benefits, including grants, disaster-response support, tax and customs-duty concessions where eligible, and access to the Disability Rights Tribunal when discrimination occurs. He linked the session to wider investment in the parish, citing the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project and development of the Morant Bay urban centre.

Legal officer Travis Ibanks explained that the Disabilities Act provides complaint mechanisms for direct and indirect discrimination in areas such as hiring, public buildings, education and passenger transport, with mediation or tribunal hearings available and legal aid in appropriate cases.

An afternoon panel moderated by Kon Vaz covered the I Am Able my JCPD digital platform, which allows applicants to create accounts, upload documents and receive medical verification codes remotely. Grants manager Deborah Manning outlined support including educational grants of up to fifty thousand dollars, tertiary scholarships, assistive-aid and medical grants of up to three hundred thousand dollars, emergency and funeral assistance, and economic empowerment funding of two hundred thousand dollars for individual projects and four hundred thousand dollars for group ventures. Applications generally open in May and close around 30 September, with processing targeted within thirty days.

Residents raised practical barriers, including support for autistic children through the Early Stimulation Programme and the cost of specialist eye assessments for blind persons who must travel to Kingston. Officials said the council would pursue advocacy with the Ministry of Health and Health and Wellness, and explore mobile clinics during future town-hall events. Panelists also addressed employment transition support, import waivers for assistive devices, and accessibility audits for new construction under universal design principles.