It is highly possible that the experience that confronted an elderly Jamaican at a polling station in Portmore, St Catherine, last Wednesday, was not the norm at other voting centres across the island.

The situation, witnessed first hand by our Senior Reporter Mrs Alicia Dunkley-Willis, was of a woman, said by relatives to suffer from dementia, being brought to the polling station at Grace Communion Jamaica/Worldwide Church of God to cast her vote, but was delayed as electoral workers tried to determine how to proceed.

That delay, Mrs Dunkley-Willis reported, sparked concerns amongst several voters who expressed displeasure. One man, who went as far as to issue death threats at the officials, was chased by a cop on-site back to the tent where outdoor workers for the People’s National Party (PNP) sat.

While the matter was eventually settled, it brought to the fore the issue of how we accommodate Jamaicans with disabilities, not just on the occasions when they are called to exercise their right to vote, but generally.

The Portmore experience resulted in a call by PNP councillor for the Waterford Division Mr Fenley Douglas for corrective action in the way we accommodate persons with disabilities.

Councillor Douglas, obviously hurt by what he saw, told us: “There are a lot of things I would like to see changed because persons who are incapacitated, persons who need assistance, the physically challenged, they are having it real rough, because the police are not in a position, under the law, for you to let these people go in front of the able-bodied [in the line].”

As we said, we believe the Portmore experience was an aberration, because we have seen so often able-bodied Jamaicans helping persons with disabilities in public spaces. That level of care is also often extended to the elderly.

However, that doesn’t diminish the argument raised by Councillor Douglas for he was speaking to the broader issue of the mechanisms implemented by the State to make life more comfortable for the disabled.

To be fair, we have come a long way in building infrastructure and passing legislation beneficial to the disabled. Indeed, we have also seen due consideration being given to the blind with the introduction of Jamaica’s new polymer currency.

However, there is still a lot to be done, for instance in the area of access to buildings. Some voting centres, for instance, offered no easy access to wheelchair-bound Jamaicans.

As we have pointed out before, an access ramp here and there and talking ABMs do not go far enough if we are to facilitate tangible improvements in the lives of our citizens.

The Disabilities Act came into effect on February 14, 2022 after approval from 2014 and the affirmation of the Disabilities Regulations in 2021. It aimed to safeguard and enhance the welfare of persons with disabilities while promoting certain rights. Its terms were buttressed in yet another treaty of which Jamaica is a signatory — the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Still, many who celebrated the passage of the Bill yearn to be touched by its provisions.

This is a matter that the Government should give priority in its new term.

We reiterate our call for us to breathe more life into the various treaties and legislation we promote in service of those with disabilities.