NASSAU, The Bahamas – The launch of the AccessAbilityBahamas App, will help to ensure inclusion and accessibility to every aspect of life for the Community of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) that are enjoyed by those without disabilities, while equalizing opportunities for Persons with Disabilities throughout the length and breadth of The Bahamas.

“That is what we strive to achieve with the AccessAbilityBahamas App,” Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Hon. Philip E. Davis, K.C., said during the App’s launch, December 4, 2022 at Margaritaville Beach Resort.

Developed for the Community of Persons with Disabilities by Bahamian Stephan Brown, the App provides one-touch access to Emergency Services, NEMA Alerts and important news and information as well as Sign-Language Interpretation. The Department of Labour will also enable job listings in the new App so that persons with disabilities may learn about job vacancies and apply in accordance with the skills. The App will also be a booking mechanism for a subsidized transportation system for Persons with Disabilities that the Government is currently working on.

“It is user-friendly and will enable use by those who are blind or deaf and is in keeping with the theme for International Day of the Disabled: ‘Transformative Solutions for Inclusive Development.’  I thank the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for seeing the potential of this App and for partially funding the enhancements to the App as a willing international partner as always,” Prime Minister Davis added.

Prime Minister Davis said the launch of the AccessAbilityBahamas App is part of the Government’s “aggressive agenda to equalize the playing field” for Persons with Disabilities “and is taking measures to focus on the Rights that were given to Persons with Disabilities as a part of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities) Act, 2014.

(The commitment is contained in the Speech from the Throne in which the Davis Administration, in part, made the commitment to ensure that the provisions of the Persons with Disabilities [Equal Opportunities] Act, 2014, are fully implemented and enforced.)

The Prime Minister said the Government has undertaken a “ground-breaking initiative” with the 52-Week Employment Programme that includes the employment of 50 Persons with Disabilities in the private and public sectors.

Prime Minister Davis said the Department of Labour will also enable job listings in the new App so that persons with disabilities may learn about job vacancies and apply in accordance with the skills required.

“A reminder that the current law states that for every 100 employees, that organization ought to have one person with a disability,” Prime Minister Davis said. “Yes, this is an affirmative action initiative to ensure that PwDs are included. And this is progress indeed.”

Prime Minister Davis said, in line with his Administration’s commitment to the Community of Persons with Disabilities, the Ministry of Health and Wellness has spearheaded the Mental Health Bill which also seeks to give equal access to appropriate healthcare for those who suffer from mental illness.

The Prime Minister said a “key factor” in accessibility is affordable transportation to enable persons with disabilities to meet healthcare appointments, go to work, school, and job interviews, etcetera.

“This App will be a booking mechanism for subsidized transportation system for Persons with Disabilities that the Government is currently working on. The technology is in place and we are putting service delivery in place for the provision of such transportation options. Again, progress indeed!

Mr. Davis said as financial resources are paramount to achieving these goals, the Government is in the process of establishing a National Development Fund for Persons with Disabilities with the specific aim of enabling and developing PwDs with skills towards independence, and to fund the planned Multi-purpose Day Centre for persons “ageing out of the school system, a project we began some time ago but one that we hope to see completed in this Administration.”

“We are witnessing inclusion and accessibility in pragmatic and demonstrative ways like never before. In short, with inclusion as a foremost goal, we are attempting to equalize the opportunities for Persons with Disabilities throughout the length and breadth of The Bahamas in order for them to be recognized as having the same access to services as those who are without disabilities,” Prime Minister Davis said.

 
“(This includes) the same access to housing and employment as the rest of the population and the same access to social and cultural life in The Bahamas. We are creating a  pathway to independence for those living with a disability, restoring society’s acceptance of those who may be a little different, but who are still capable of contributing to our country with dignity and pride. This is indeed progress,” Prime Minister Davis added.   

 (BIS Photos/Kemuel Stubbs)