KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Government has launched the “I AM ABLE” app, which Labour and Social Security Minister Pearnel Charles Jr has described as a “ground-breaking tool that will revolutionise how persons with disabilities interact with the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD), and by extension the ministry”.

Charles Jr said it was a “bold step toward inclusion and accessibility”. He was speaking on Tuesday in the House of Representatives while making his contribution to the 2025/26 Sectoral Debate. He said the initiative was in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and will be officially launched in June.

“Individuals will be able to register or renew their status with the JCPD using a mobile phone, simply by uploading photos of their TRN and other documents. The app also provides real-time updates on the registration process, reducing approval time from 30 days to just mere minutes,” said Charles Jr.

He said 25,000 individuals were targeted and added that “this innovation eliminates the need to travel to ministry offices and removes a major barrier to access”.

“Importantly, persons with disabilities were directly involved in testing the app to ensure it meets their specific needs. The app offers further benefits, including applications for tax exemptions, grants and other forms of support,” Charles Jr said.

The minister said a national education campaign will be rolled out by the JCPD to ensure widespread awareness and usage.

“With the ‘I AM ABLE’ app, we are using today’s transformation to build tomorrow’s future, ensuring that no one is left behind,” said Charles Jr.

Meanwhile, the minister told the House that the budgetary allocation given to the Early Stimulation Programme has seen a 640 per cent or $16 million increase over last year’s spend.

“In the last financial year, over 6,000 children, zero to six years with disabilities, received training, assistive devices and grants. Approximately 3,000 children from over 290 communities across the island benefitted from early intervention services and nearly 2,000 accessed physiotherapy,” said the minister.

“We will be expanding the interventions to these children and others in the parishes of Manchester, Hanover and Trelawny,” he added.