There are fears that members of the disabled community could be left out of the Government’s $1-billion relief programme for victims of Hurricane Beryl because they will be at the “back of the line”.

But Minister of Labour and Security Pearnel Charles Jr on Wednesday urged parents and guardians of disabled children to register them with Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD) to ensure they are not left behind in the Hurricane Beryl aid effort.

This was a call echoed by Opposition spokesman on housing and sustainable living and advocate for the disabled, Senator Floyd Morris.

Speaking at a post-Cabinet media briefing at Jamaica House on Wednesday, Charles Jr announced that the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is to zero in on children with disabilities in the parishes worst hit by Hurricane Beryl.

“There will be special focus on the children with disabilities between zero and six years of age, and pregnant and lactating mothers by UNICEF,” said Charles Jr.

He said the international humanitarian aid agency will also be honing in on children registered with the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH).

“What we will see is an intervention where cash and care packages will be provided to those persons who are registered with the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities and those registered with the Early Stimulation Programme. I want to appeal to all families, all parents, who have in their household a child with a disability. This is the time to register your child,” said Charles Jr.

He said the Category 4 hurricane, which hit Jamaica on July 3, was a critical reminder of the need for every person with a disability to be registered so the authorities are able to identify and locate them when it becomes necessary.

Hours after the announcement by Charles Jr, Senator Morris, speaking with the Jamaica Observer, said a targeted approach is best for members of the disabled community who, over the years, have fallen through the cracks during relief efforts.

“Therein lies a dilemma and so the welfare agencies have to make sure that in their response vulnerable groups, like persons with disabilities and senior citizens, are targeted so that they get the food, the zinc, the ply that would be needed to repair their homes and also to take care of their families,” said Morris who is blind.

Noting that a significant portion of the nation’s disabled citizens reside in the hardest-hit parishes — Clarendon, Manchester, St Elizabeth — Morris said it was undoubted that the need of the disabled in these areas is great.

“There is the whole issue of access to welfare services, post-hurricane. That’s a matter that the population of persons with disabilities have consistently faced because they are at home and oftentimes it is those who can get to the line first that are provided with the assistance.

“Support is distributed through various sources and sometimes the population of persons with disabilities are forgotten because they are not able to go directly to the member of parliament’s office,” added Morris.

He further argued that the authorities should, in the rebuilding process, address the accessibility issue where schools are concerned in terms of ramps and other amenities.

“One of the complaints persons with disabilities have been having over the years is the level of accessibility to shelters and how they are accommodated there and so a lot of them don’t end up going to shelters because the shelters are inaccessible and that is a matter that has to be addressed in a fundamental way because schools are used as shelters and the schools in general are inaccessible so you are having a major problem there and the Government is being advised to address the accessibility issues at schools which would end up to be a double fix,” said Morris.