People with disabilities will soon have a card ( fast track card ) to facilitate their access to services offered by government institutions in the country.

The unveiling of this card was done on Wednesday morning in a ceremony in the Botanical Garden in the presence of a group of people with disabilities and some parents; Principal Secretary (PS) for the Family, Clive Roucou; director of the Division of the Elderly and Disabled in the Family Department, Marco Jerry; and other workers of this division.

This activity is in line with this year’s international theme: ‘ Transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fueling an accessible and equitable world’, which is promoting inclusivity and innovation to encourage access and a fair world.

It was Keshia Alissop who accepted this card from PS Roucou, on behalf of all the people who live with a disability in the country.

In a small address just before giving the card to Keshia, PS Roucou said that this activity shows the commitment of the government and the family department to people with disabilities to make their lives a little easier, and that there will be more actions in the future.

“We are working on policies to ensure that their lives are always in terms of service and access, which we started with the Ministry of Health, and that we will work with other departments and agencies, to make sure that their lives become easier in all that they do.”

On his side Mr. Jerry explained that they are developing this policy to explain in detail how this card will be implemented. The logistical component is that people with disabilities will need to come forward to have their portraits taken and provide personal details, including medical certificates, before they can receive one of these cards.

He says that at the moment the Social Protection Agency has about two thousand people registered, and this exercise will also help to update the record of the number of people with disabilities.

“It will also be a way for us to know the people who are not in the system because of this, it will make them come forward and register, and there we will also be able to set up the country’s system. We will know where he is, where he stays and will make it easy when we are accessing information,” Mr. Jerry explained.

He says that this card will make it easier for all people with disabilities to be treated equally.

“For example, at a bank, you see a person in a wheelchair and you know they have a disability, but a person with an intellectual disability may not be severely disabled, but only has a disability. Savedir this card will identify him and make him be treated equally in every institution where he goes.

The Department of the Family says it will distribute this ‘ fast track card’ to loved ones as long as they are ready, and is encouraging people with disabilities and their families to come forward and participate in this exercise when it starts next year.

One of the parents present, Norma Quatre, thanked the department because she said that the cards will reduce the time they sit in a place.

“Because of the time we can sit for several hours and the family is tired and stressed, and when their behavior changes, people think they are evil. So this will really relieve us”.

Regarding access to services in private institutions, Mr. Jerry says that at the moment they have already entered into discussions with the Central Bank and the Seychelles bankers’ association to see how to improve services for this group of people in banking institutions.

“We are discussing the possibility of introducing ‘braille’ in the bank, since there are some people with disabilities who do not see clearly and do not know what they are signing when accessing a service, or cannot use an ATM. There are also people who do not hear. What services in the bank can improve their access to financial services, and even a person with a physical disability who also finds it difficult to access the bank,” said Mr. Jerry.

He says that this restructuring is not only for the bank, and they are looking at all private businesses in general, such as shops, where there are no ‘ ramps ‘ for wheelchairs, to make life easier for people with disabilities.

He added that the Department of the Family is also continuing with its awareness campaign to ensure that everyone understands the needs of this group of people, and that they are treated well, since Seychelles has signed an international convention to commit to their well-being.

He says one of the challenges for the moment is implementation and respect for the policies in place.

“We have signed a convention, and this is their right to have access to such services. Next year, representatives of the Commonwealth will come to Seychelles to follow up on the study we did recently on disability, and to see how we can start implementing the recommendations that came out of it, within a legal and policy framework, how we can make it inclusive for everyone .”

Wednesday’s activity was also meaningful for two young people to demonstrate their talent with Ibrahim Dodin, who started the ceremony with a moment of strong reflection where he asked individuals and private organizations and the government, to ask for the work they did for a person with disabilities this year, to create opportunities and improve their lives.

This was followed by the song ‘ Imagine’ by John Lennon performed on the keyboard by the talented musician Auria Barbe, who was accompanied vocally by the band present.

The unveiling of the card coincided with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which fell on December 3.

Source: Seychelles Nation