The Dominica Association of Persons With Disabilities (DAPD Inc.) held a workshop to train members on developing individualized disaster plans during natural disasters. The two-day event also sought to empower members on sustainable livelihood in the face of physical disabilities.
President of DAPD, Irma Raymond Joseph, lamented that disabled persons are often marginalized in the society. She said they are treated as second-level citizens in their own country and are the last to know of any worthy thing. She added that when anything of value would be done in the society, disabled persons may be given theoretical information but not practical responsibility.
Ms. Raymond Joseph, however, stated that the DAPD has been granted the Amateur Radio License, a development that would bode well for disabled persons in Dominica. With the radio station, members of the association will be well-informed on what would be of personal benefits to them in the society.
The workshop empowered members of the association to understand what to do before, during and after natural disasters. Special focus was made on the need for disabled persons to develop their own response plan in case disaster hits.
“A person on a wheelchair, what do they do if there is an earthquake? A person who is blind; what is their escape route at home or if they are in a building; wherever they are? So, this is one of the things we will be looking at and also, we will be working with shelter managers to ensure that the shelters are adequately accessible to persons with disabilities, especially persons who are wheelchair users,” Raymond Joseph stated.
Funded by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Project (GEF SPGPROJECT), the DAPD program also looked at getting the government actively involved in matters relating to people with disabilities.
The event was held at DAPD’s office in Goodwill.
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