Visitors suffering from physical disabilities may soon have a special service that would allow them to equally enjoy all that Antigua and Barbuda has to offer.
President of the Antigua and Barbuda Association of Persons with Disabilities, Bernard Warner, was invited to Cabinet on Wednesday to discuss his proposal for a special service dedicated to the elderly and physically disabled.
Speaking to OBSERVER, Warner said he told Cabinet that disabled tourists often remain on board the cruise ships or at the hotels instead of enjoying the beauty of Antigua and Barbuda
He said his project would create beach-accessible wheelchairs and roller mats to allow physically challenged people who visit the beaches to enter the water more easily.
He also proposed to government the idea of wheelchair safaris.
“A part of the proposal I shared with them is how can we enable tourists with disabilities to go on hikes and to go to Wallings,” he said, adding that, “I discussed with them the idea of wheelchair safaris and working with beach bars to [make them] more accessible.”
Warner said his advice was well received by Cabinet, whose members committed to assisting him obtain the relevant licences as soon as possible.
“As the project is very unique within the Caribbean and forward thinking for Antigua and Barbuda, Cabinet agreed that they will assist me in ensuring that I would get the opportunity to get my taxi licence and to ply my trade here without any barriers.”
If these ideas are implemented, Warner said this will benefit not only tourists but allow elderly citizens to enjoy Antigua and Barbuda.