KINGSTON, Jamaica — Parents of children with disabilities are able to access an Economic Empowerment grant of up to $150,000 from the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities to assist in the maintenance of a disabled child.

This is according to the council’s Executive Director Dr Christine Hendricks, who was speaking at a Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) Enabling Parents virtual forum, on Thursday.

She said the grant is for individuals with a disability to start his or her own business.

“We have economic empowerment grants so that if you are business-minded as a parent and you can carry out a business on behalf of your child, you can earn and take care of the medical and educational needs of your child,” Dr Hendricks said.

She also noted that the JCPD provides access to a range of financial support services aimed at empowering people with disabilities to lead independent lives. These services, she said, are made available to persons who are registered with the JCPD and include assistance to ensure full educational opportunities, such as school-fee assistance and books.

“We provide educational assistance; during the period May to July, persons can apply for back to school assistance,” Dr Hendricks said, adding that the council also provides funding for the purchase of assistive devices including specialised wheelchairs, specialised glasses and hearing aids, through its Assistive Aid grant.

“Whatever assistive devices your child has to use… to enable their independence is available through the Assistive Aid grant,” she said.

The council also facilitates individuals with disabilities who meet the required criteria to access the five per cent allocation of housing solutions from the National Housing Trust (NHT).

“If it is other social support, the NHT provides a grant for persons who have children, who will need to retrofit their home to ensure that the child who is using a wheelchair can move around better. Whatever the disability is, the NHT provides support to help in that area,” Dr Hendricks explained.

For more information, people can visit the JCPD at jcpdja.com/ or call (876) 968-0837-3 and (876) 926-9374-5.

The forum was the second of four being hosted by the CPFSA in partnership with the JCPD. The sessions are targeting persons in Clarendon, Manchester and St Elizabeth.