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PRESIDENT’S INTRODUCTION TO ANNUAL REPORTS Over the past year the Barbados Council for the Disabled has continued its mission to bring public awareness to the challenges that Persons with Disabilities face, and also to sensitize the public that we are all only a step away from ourselves facing the prospect of becoming disabled. Even with initiatives by the BCD to create this awareness there are still many among us who still exhibit a casual indifference to the needs of this highly vulnerable sector of our many communities.
The Council in its quest for equity between the abled and disabled continues to plead when needed, and to be confrontational when the circumstances force us to be. The powers that be need to do more than listen but they must act. I must admit that over the just ended year in review, there has been little need to take the second course of action.
The response from corporate Barbados to our many initiatives has been positive; many have enthusiastically embraced our projects to make Barbados Fully Accessible for Persons with Disabilities. Hotels, business places large and small, restaurants have worked to make their places of business accessible to Persons with disabilities. They have accepted the challenge not only so that they can have the FAB plaque placed on their building, but to ensure that no one is disadvantaged when conducting business.
There is a feeling that Persons with disabilities are asexual or even gender neutral, nothing can be farther from the truth, Persons with Disabilities have all of the emotions and desires of the abled community and these feelings travel with them through life. The BCD being aware of this, have worked in conjunction with the UNFPA to promote a disability friendly program on Sexual Reproductive Health specifically directed to this vulnerable sector. I would like to congratulate Mrs. Rose-Ann Foster-Vaughn and her team for the effort they have put into this program. One which is intended to make Persons with Disabilities aware of the many requirements that are needed to ensure their physical and sexual well being is taken care of.
Finally the serious question of creating a sustainable job market for Persons with Disabilities continues to be one of the major challenges faced by school leavers and persons graduating from University, who are in even a minor way disabled. Looking for and securing employment opportunities has many challenges. In avery competitive labour market job seekers have to ensure that their skills and abilities, as well as their personal attributes, meet the required needs of the employer.
Marketing yourself to ensure that you stand out above the rest is in and of itself a challenge. Now incorporate a disability and the challenges become greater. The Council is aware of the challenges that Persons with Disabilities face in securing employment and in these recessionary times the challenges are even greater. If there is one thing that the BCD hopes to achieve is an equitable job market where at the introductory level, job seekers are not discriminated against simply based on the fact that they are differently abled. We must come to grips with the reality that people with disabilities are capable of providing the same level of skill and dedication as people without disabilities.
There are many challenges that people with disabilities face when they are seeking employment opportunities. One of the major challenges is attitudinal barriers. Attitudinal barriers are one of the main reasons that people with disabilities are underrepresented in the workforce. Negative stereotyping can contribute to a person with a disability not even getting an interview, their skills and abilities are underestimated before they have an opportunity to market themselves. Some of the attitudes that employers may have, are that people with disabilities cannot do the same type of work or at the same level of efficiency as people without disabilities. Attitudes about people with disabilities can govern how we relate and respond in all aspects of social interaction. Continuing to educate employers in these areas is key to breaking down attitudinal barriers. This has been a slow process but there has been positive movement in education of employers through the development of practical tools for creating an inclusive workplace and workforce.
The Barbados Council of the Disabled would like to thank the Private and International Agencies for their assistance; as well as the Government of Barbados for its continued support and promises to remain committed to the fight for persons with disabilities; to stand behind its affiliates and work with them to achieve goals that were once seen as beyond their capabilities, and continue to live and stand behind our motto.
David ‘joey’ Harper
President
 To read the whole document
 Annual Report 2004-2005
 Annual Report 2008 - 2009
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