KINGSTON, Jamaica – Visually impaired Jamaicans who apply for a birth certificate will soon be receiving the document printed in Braille, according to Floyd Green, minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister.

Green made the announcement on Tuesday during his contribution to the 2023/24 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives.

He said the Registrar General’s Department (RGD) is moving to make this a reality soon.

“I have continued to advocate for and ensure the inclusion of our most vulnerable in all that we do. In order to satisfy our visually impaired customers, we will be embarking on printing birth certificates in Braille. This is to be executed through partnerships with Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities, Jamaica Society for the Blind and other relevant stakeholders,” Green said.

“This is a pioneering effort within the English-speaking Caribbean,” he added.

Meanwhile, Green updated the House on the Government’s Operation BirthRight programme which is aimed at providing up to 30,000 undocumented, minimum wage-earning Jamaicans with a birth certificate. He said over 2,000 applicants have so far submitted applications for birth certificates under the programme.

“We have also partnered with the Department of Correctional Services to provide close to 100 birth certificates for inmates at the St Catherine Adult Correctional Centre; a programme which will extend over the next coming months to other correctional centres islandwide,” Green said.

He noted that determining whether the applicants are eligible for Jamaican birth certificates is an involved process and, in some cases, consists of obtaining information from applicants’ schools, churches and communities.

Green said the RGD conducting fieldwork and follow-ups to advance the late registration and entries required to issue birth certificates to eligible applicants. He also disclosed that an additional 14 people have been employed across the island to treat specifically with Operation Birthright.

The minister anticipates that the production of birth certificates will be ramped up this year.

“Last month we started a promotional campaign and will continue that drive for the next few months. The government is imploring Jamaicans to use this programme to gain the much anticipated benefits,” he said.