The Rotary Club of Kingston will focus its energies and resources over the next 12 months an the welfare and well-being of persons with disabilities, as well as to reintegrate into the formal work sector.

It is a project that is being undertaken by new Rotary president, attorney-at-law Gregory Reid.

Reid was officially installed as president earlier in July.

The project aims to provide assistance to people with disabilities, and to increase an awareness of the needs of the community by the Rotarians movement and the wider society.

The year-long focus has as its components improving the facilities for those with disabilities at two major institutions, providing employment, and financing prosthetic limbs.

“Our focus is crucial for persons in this group. And by the way, with all that is happening in the world anyone of us can become disabled by any form of accident in a matter of a second,” said Reid. “So improving the facilities and assisting with employment will go a far way in helping those who have physical disabilities work through all the issues and help them reintegrate in society in a more seamless way.”

Under the project, the Rotary Club of Kingston will to assist with the financing of prosthetic limbs at the Sir John Golding Centre. The voluntary organisation will seek assistance from national and international donors to fund the project, to ensure people with disabilities can have better access to the prosthetic limbs.

The club will also improve the facilities at the Hope Valley Experimental School by providing a special needs changing room, so that children with disabilities can have access to proper changing and sanitary facilities.

“Proper facilities are so important for those with disabilities and in as much as buildings should be retrofitted to cater for those with disabilities, the process is slow and you find that disabled persons are more often than not inconvenienced when using public facilities. We want our business operators to make their businesses are more accessible to persons with disabilities by installing rails, ramps, bathroom facilities and designated parking spaces,” stated the new Rotary Club of Kingston president.

The club will also improve the facilities at the STEP Centre through the provision of special needs furniture to enhance the education of children with disabilities. In addition, Reid said that Rotary will be spearheading a behavour change component to encourage Rotarians and employers to provide employment opportunities (including: summer, part-time and full-time employment, where possible) for people with disabilities.