ST JAMES, Jamaica — Deputy Mayor of Montego Bay and Chairman of the Infrastructure Committee of the St James Municipal Corporation, Councillor Richard Vernon, is commending the management of Trinity Mall for its vision in installing an elevator at the facility to give full access to members of the disabled community.

In a release on Tuesday, Councillor Vernon, who also represents the Montego Bay South Division (downtown Montego Bay) where the mall is located, said the move by Trinity Mall’s management should be applauded by everyone and emulated by other members of the business community whose buildings are not yet disabled friendly.

“I am very pleased to see what is happening here at this facility. Some months ago, we (at the St James Municipal Corporation) made a policy decision not to approve future building plans if they do not include access for persons with disabilities,” he said.

“For the existing buildings, we continue to encourage their owners to take the necessary steps to retrofit them to make them accessible to members of the disabled community. I am very happy that Mr (Lionel) Moore has found it necessary to install this lift…which will give full access to persons with disabilities,” Vernon stated while on a tour of the facility.

Councillor Vernon said that going forward, the St James Municipal Corporation will remain resolute in ensuring that there is adherence to the building act, and the necessary regulations to protect members of the disabled community.

Meanwhile, Manager of the Mall, Lionel Moore, said the installation of the elevator was a no-brainer in making the building accessible to the clients, some of whom are disabled or are senior citizens, who continue to support businesses on the mall.

“The elevator is something which our clients have been asking for, especially those with disabilities and the senior citizens. I am very happy that we are able to carry out this project which will put the building among the few to which members of the disabled community will have full access,” Moore said.

The Act was passed in Parliament in October 2014, and the Regulations affirmed by the House of Representatives in October 2021. It gives more authority to the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities, which will no longer be a department of the Ministry but a body corporate, functioning under the Public Bodies Management Accountability Act.

The Disabilities Act aims to ensure the full and effective participation of and inclusion of PWDs in the society. It is in keeping with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to which Jamaica is party.