Disabled back tough talk from StJMC on building standards
Published:Monday | March 14, 2022 | 12:06 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Members of St James’ disabled community are lauding the possibility of more doors being opened for them following the St James Municipal Corporation’s (StJMC) recent announcement that it will reject building-construction plans that are not in line with the stipulations of the Disabilities Act of 2014.
That declaration was made on Thursday during the StJMC’s regular monthly meeting, with the aim of more inclusive architecture for the blind, deaf, and wheelchair users.
For 81-year-old Josiah Shaw, who is partially blind and a wheelchair user, such a move would be a game-changer as he is unable to access several buildings, which have stairs instead of ramps, with his motorised chair.
“I cannot go downtown again unless somebody carries me because one of my eyes is gone and some of the buildings downtown have steps, so I cannot mount them. If the buildings were accessible, when I go downtown, I would ride in, but from I reach the steps at the front, I cannot enter,” Shaw told The Gleaner.
“I feel that that announcement is a good initiative as that would be the most important part for me right now – to have more access to the entrance of any place,” Shaw added.
That sentiment is shared by Andrew East, president of the Cornwall Combined Disabilities Association, who noted that while facilities for disabled persons have been installed in many of Montego Bay’s older buildings, some of them are not conveniently placed. He uses a wheelchair.
“For example, the LOJ Shopping Centre had put in a ramp where you have to come off at Howard Cooke Boulevard to go into the building, but it is not at an ideal spot as you would have to come off from a vehicle on the highway to get to that one,” East said of the building sited in Montego Bay’s downtown district.
During Thursday’s meeting at the StJMC, Montego Bay Deputy Mayor Richard Vernon noted that the municipal corporation’s announcement is in line with Jamaica’s anticipated development plans to be established by 2030.
The Disabilities Act came into effect on February 14 this year, having been passed in 2014 after wending its way through Parliament for more than a decade. The law’s key points of focus include the right to education and training; the right to employment; the right to healthcare; and the establishment of the Disabilities Rights Tribunal to hear and settle complaints of discrimination.
Section 37 of the act states that in building any public or commercial premises, the owner or agent must ensure that the premises are readily accessible to, and usable by, disabled persons, while being constructed in accordance with the National Building Code.
In the meantime, Christine Hendricks, president of the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities, expressed hope that similar announcements will be made at other municipal corporations even while declaring that her organisation will be ramping up its public-awareness campaign on the Disabilities Act.
“That is excellent news, and I hope it will be carried throughout all the municipal offices because for the parish council to take that stance, it means that when they are doing their reviews, they will ensure the plans that come through will have accessible features,” said Hendricks.