CARIMAC Times 2016: The JREAM Edition Journalists Reviving Awareness of what Matters | Page 143

H

e frequently became ill and, on
several occasions, had to be
admitted to the hospital.
She was concerned.

“The doctor told me that he has Down syndrome
and I was sent to do some tests. Those confirmed
it. I know that normally, children start standing
or walking by eight to nine months, but that was
not the case with him. He started late. He was
slow in every area. He didn’t walk until he was
three years old,” the mother of three shared.
Reynolds said she came to accept the results, as
this type of intellectual disability was familiar.
Her elder brother had also been diagnosed
with the same condition. For her, however, the
challenges were with regard to enrolling Martin
in school and dealing with a discriminatory
community.
“If he tried to play with the other children, he
was often mistreated, and the adults called
him handicapped. I also wanted to get him into
school but because he has Down syndrome. The
regular school[s] wouldn’t accept him so I had
to try the School of Hope. I didn’t get through
there either. The School was full [to capacity]
so he had to be placed on a waiting list. I tried
to teach him a little at home but he should be
in school,” she said.
Two years later, at age seven, Martin was still
out of school because he lived in rural Jamaica
and there was only one institution in the parish
that could handle this type of disability. Reynolds
said she was hopeful that with the passing of

the Disabilities Act, life would improve for her
son and others like him.
Disabilities and inclusion
According to the United Nations’ findings,
approximately 15 per cent of the world’s
population has at least one type of disability. Yet,
in spite of such a large percentage, t his group,
including Martin continued to experience social
exclusion in education, housing, employment
and community activities.
Generally, the international human rights
organisation noted, people with disabilities
(PWDs) are poorer, less independent and less
likely to reach their full potential than any
other identifiable group.
The Disabilities Act was passed in 2014 and
received widespread support from advocacy
groups. It also facilitated the creation of agencies
such as the Jamaica Council for Persons with
Disabilities ( JCPD).
The JCPD is the government agency, under the
Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS)
that has responsibility for the implementation
of policies and programmes for PWDs. The
mission of the Council is to promote the
protection of the rights of PWDs in accordance
with national policies, plans and programmes
within the legislative framework. It seeks to
facilitate the educational, economic and social
development of pwds in a collaborative and
participatory atmosphere, through training,
public education and the provision of other
relevant services.

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