By Charminae George
Persons with disabilities are all around us. Some are our neighbours, friends or prominent persons we have heard about.
Progress has been made over the years to make everyday life more accessible to these individuals. However, there’s still more to be done.
This is why the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) is important. It gives these individuals an official platform every year on December 3 to tell us what can be done.
Joshuanette Francis, a disability advocate diagnosed with osteoarthritis, told Observer of the top four things on her advocacy wishlist.
A functional disability tribunal is at the top of her list. This is essentially a group of people who take part in decision-making on behalf of persons with disabilities.
“In 2017, the Disability Act was passed and the tribunal to-date has still not been set up,” she said.
Public campaigns that raise awareness of challenges that individuals with disabilities face is second on the list.
“One of the challenges that we face is that individuals are not educated on the different types of disabilities, how we interact with individuals with disabilities and the needs of individuals with disabilities,” the disability advocate explained.
Third in the lineup is employment initiatives which will allow for needs and expenses to be met.
“We need to have jobs because our jobs are going to be able to give us savings. Our savings would lead to us buying cars. Our savings would lead to us being able to afford homes,” Francis said.
And last but not least is advocacy. This is both on an inter-organisational level and support from the general public.
“It’s us having regular stakeholder meetings with all of the different organisations and individuals who interact with individuals with disabilities and come up with a game plan,” she stated.
Francis added that one thing that members of the general public can do is view and share content posted by local disability organisations.
She also mentioned that residents can consider donating to projects that will benefit individuals with disabilities. One such campaign is the ongoing effort to partially fund the retrofitting of a bathroom for increased accessibility, along with a wheelchair ramp for a student at the Potters Primary School.
The IDPD was first observed in 1992 after it was designated as such by resolution 47/3 of the United Nations General Assembly. It aims to raise awareness of situations that persons living with disabilities face, and advocate for their rights within society.
It is estimated that over one billion people or 15 percent of the world’s eight billion people live with some form of disability, according to the United Nations.
Francis is the president of the non-profit, Good Humans 268 Inc. It was founded in June 2023 after she was terminated from her job due to her osteoarthritis diagnosis at age 24.
The organisation is dedicated to the cause of furthering environmental sustainability and assisting those with disabilities in Antigua and Barbuda.