KINGSTON, Jamaica — Individuals with physical and mental impairments are being encouraged to register with the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD) to access several available benefits.

Speaking recently on ‘Get the Facts’, a JIS television programme, Executive Director, Dr Christine Hendricks, informed that the Council can facilitate members with grant aid of up to $250,000 to acquire assistive devices and implements, if and where these cannot be provided directly from the entity’s supplies.

These, she indicated, include hearing aids, wheelchairs, and white canes, adding that “whatever [else] persons would need, once they are registered, they can apply to purchase [it]”.

Membership is open to persons with the full range of disabilities, encompassing physical, mental/intellectual, and sensory (blindness and deafness) impairment.

The two-fold registration process entails the completion of a membership form, and disability verification through a medical report.

Dr Hendricks said the registration form provides basic supporting information such as the name of applicants’ caregivers or next of kin.

“That would be the person named to conduct business on behalf of children or an adult, depending whether or not they can manage on their own or if they require support,” she indicated.

Dr Hendricks further advised that information is collated about applicants’ disabilities, the extent of support they would require to ensure their independence in society, “and perhaps what other benefits they are getting, so we are aware of what is happening”.

The Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities has more than 12,000 members.

— JIS