MINISTER of Education, Skills, Youth and Information Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon is championing a more inclusive Jamaica, pushing for equal access in schools and fair job opportunities for members of the disabled community.

“If we truly want to hire the best we have to make accommodations for persons living with disabilities. Too often those accommodations are not made,” said Morris Dixon on Thursday as she delivered remarks at the handover ceremony of the Jamaica Society for the Blind’s (JSB) refurbished headquarters.

The refurbishing was done as part of the HEART/NSTA Trust’s National Development Project, which focuses on the repair and enhancement of the facility used by the blind and visually impaired for various personal, commercial, and social activities.

Morris Dixon argued that a person’s disability should not hinder them from fulfilling their potential as a hard-working citizen, and urged employers to be more inclusive when going through the hiring process.

“One of the things that is very painful for me is the lack of employment opportunities for our persons with disabilities. We have to do a better job. And I am speaking to our employers now. There are many individuals in this country who have a disability but they are absolutely brilliant people. They are great workers. They are committed workers.

“That is not acceptable in a country that says that we’re about inclusivity. We have to do a better job, and our employers have to do a better job at making accommodations for persons living with disabilities,” added Morris Dixon.

She underscored the importance of a disabled people knowing the benefits avaliable to them under the law and pointed out that those registered with the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities are eligible for exemption from income tax payments.

“I must remind everyone that taxes are another area for those who don’t remember. Employed individuals are reminded that they are eligible to apply for an income tax exemption. Section 12 of the Income Tax Act provides an exemption on emoluments of individuals with permanent physical or mental disabilities who are, nonetheless, capable of gainful employment,” said Morris Dixon.

The minister added that special attention has also been placed in the education sector surrounding students with disabilities to ensure equal opportunities for all.

“In education we continue to strengthen the systems that support learners with disabilities, and as a ministry we want to make sure every child receives the support through appropriate assessments, learning accommodations, and the tools that will allow them to engage meaningfully and confidently with their studies.

“One of the things I always ask for is a list of PEP [Primary Exit Profile] students who get accommodations. How many students get their paper in Braille or need special assistance? It is important that we are inclusive in every single element of our education system,” she said.

However, Morris Dixon admitted that the system is not without flaws and and agreed that it requires more effort from the education ministry to ensure that all Jamaicans have equal access throughout all stages of life.

“It’s not where I would want it to be — I am very honest about that — but we have to, every day, wake up and say to ourselves as a ministry, ‘Are we doing enough to make our classrooms inclusive?’

“And that’s where I need the help of the Jamaica Society for the Blind because we have to work together to push the envelope even more and to make our classrooms more accessible,” said Morris Dixon as she welcomed the work being done by the JSB to boost inclusivity. “

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon (third right) unveils the plaque for the HEART/NSTA Trust Region 1 National Development Project during the handover ceremony at the Jamaica Society for the Blind in Kingston, on Thursday. Sharing in the moment (from left) are managing director of the HEART/NSTA Trust, Dr Taneisha Ingleton; chairman of the Jamaica Society for the Blind, Damion McLean; and regional director for HEART’s Region 1, Dr Sasha Shim-Hue.Naphtali Junior