Jamaica’s Dr Floyd Morris, whose popularity on the international disabilities front is growing, ended his latest stint this weekend as one of 18 foremost global experts at the 26th session of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in Geneva, Switzerland.

Morris, Jamaica’s first blind senator, served as co-rapporteur for the review of the Report on Mexico and described his work there as an “absolute joy”. The session examined the reports of Venezuela, Mexico, Switzerland, Hungary, and the European Union on their commitments to the disabled.

“…This is serious work as it is designed to improve the conditions of persons with disabilities all over the world. Over one billion individuals are classified as having a disability, according to the World Health Organization,” said Dr Morris.

“This committee is a working university that I could never imagine attending and I have to give God thanks for his guiding hands and the people of Jamaica for their love and continued support.

“They say to whom much is given, much is expected. God has given me much and I am prepared to give to the world all that I can to improve the quality of life of my brothers and sisters who have been unjustly treated in society.”

Morris made the closing statement on the Mexico review, which noted that disabled Mexicans often experienced domestic violence and abuse because of the lack of alternatives, with abuses ranging from “physical and sexual violence, psychological abuse, neglect, shackling, and verbal threats”.

“Mexico, at all levels of Government, lacks policies and a comprehensive plan to ensure people with disabilities can live independently and be included in the community, placing them in a situation of dependency on their families and significantly increasing the risk of abuse and neglect,” the report said.

Dr Morris made the point that, as countries moved to implement the CRPD, “there is a growing conflict with the human rights model and the antiquated charity and medical models of disability”.

“The human rights approach is seeking to liberate persons with disabilities and have their fundamental rights and freedoms realised. But individuals who have grown up on a culture of persons with disabilities being treated as subjects of charity [who] cannot do anything for themselves because of their disability, do not realise that this is the new norm and that international law is there to protect the rights of these individuals.”

He cited the recent coming into effect of the Disabilities Act of Jamaica, saying it is a human rights-based instrument and citizens must begin to understand that, more and more, persons with disabilities in Jamaica, like Mexico and other countries that had ratified the CRPD, would be out and about in the broader society and they must be respected.

“I will be relentless in my pursuit to ensure the fundamental rights and freedoms of these individuals are respected in Jamaica and across the world. I will continue to work with dedicated grass-root organisations, such as the Combined Disabilities Association, to champion the cause of persons with disabilities locally and to sensitise the public of their fundamental rights and freedoms,” Morris pledged.

The CRPD is the body of independent experts who monitor implementation of the Convention by the States Parties. It meets in Geneva and normally holds two or three sessions per year.

Countries who have become party to the Convention (States parties) are obligated to submit regular reports to the Committee on how the rights of the Convention are implemented. States parties must report initially within two years of accepting the convention and thereafter every four years.

Jamaica drew commendations when its report was considered earlier this month.