NEWLY installed Minister for Crime and Persons with Disabilities Jeremiah Norbert is optimistic about persons with disabilities being fully integrated into the society.
He says he feels set to ‘champion the cause’ for these people, as the main representative for persons with disability – the National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPD), welcomed the new ministerial post and saying that it looks forward with interest about their concerns being adequately addressed.
Mr Norbert, an amputee who contested the July 2021 polls after losing his right leg in a motor cycle accident, won the Micoud North seat for the first time for St Lucia Labour Party (SLP) administration.
With this latest development, he acknowledged the assistance and support of the Taiwanese Embassy with funding a grant to build a National Disability Policy, which is in the making.
He cited “little issues”, such as disabled people not being able to utilize designated parking areas because they have been occupied by normal people.
It requires of us as a society, as a community, and as a country to truly do some introspection on this issue and it goes back to the very fabric of our society, whether we respect rules and regulations in this country, declared Jeremiah Norbert.
He said that he was pleased that the authorities are working on a National Disability Policy, and furthermore, the NCOPD “has reached out to him and looks forward to meeting with the various groups and see how they can get something more comprehensive done, as there are a lot of legislations that need to be enacted to ensure that persons with disabilities feel more included in the wider society.
On a community level, he informed that the Micoud cemetery has been shaped to facilitate designs that ensure that every part of the cemetery was 100% accessible for persons with disabilities. They have the ramps in the right places and so, persons will not be denied an opportunity to enjoy the everyday things of life , the good things that other persons are able to enjoy, because he or she may have had a disability.”
Meanwhile, Mr Norbert disclosed that the Micoud jetty reconstruction project is on the agenda. The Micoud North MP reported that he recently met with the fisherfolks from the community to discuss the general orientation of the jetty and also, to give them an insight into when they are going to start the reconstruction.
He said, “All material for the jetty has been received, the cabinet conclusion has been prepared and the material should be cleared shortly.”
He added that the contractors have confirmed that by next week, they should be able to have a ground breaking ceremony and be able to see physical works start on the jetty.
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