Dear Editor,
I read, with great interest, the December 5 Kaieteur News letter titled “Persons Living With Disabilities Deserve Dignity, Not a One-Off Handout”. In the letter, the writer highlighted concerns that the one-off cash grant for persons with disabilities is insufficient and risks being perceived as a token gesture. While I appreciate the writer’s perspective that persons with disabilities deserve more than short-term relief, I believe the critique misses the broader context of the Government of Guyana’s December 3 announcement and the comprehensive measures outlined by His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali in his International Day for Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) 2025 speech delivered at the luncheon hosted by the First Family on December 3. The measures outlined go well beyond the issuance of a single cash grant and form part of an evolving national framework aimed at expanding opportunity, increasing accessibility, and empowering persons with disabilities.
In the President’s speech it was clear that the cash grant is not meant to stand alone. It is one component of a multi-layered plan designed to improve the lives of more than twenty seven thousand (27,000) Guyanese living with disabilities. The writer of the December 5 letter interprets the grant as a mere political handout. However, the President’s announcement details a series of long-term, structural initiatives, which deserve recognition if we are to have a fair and balanced discussion on disability inclusion in Guyana.
Firstly, I must highlight that President Irfaan Ali committed to facilitate the employment of at least five thousand (5,000) persons with disabilities within the next five years in both the private and public sectors. This is an unprecedented promise in Guyana’s disability policy space. Employment remains one of the most significant barriers for persons with disabilities, many of whom face lifelong income insecurity and poverty as a direct result of limited opportunities for earning an income. The promise of 5,000 jobs is not rhetoric; it signals a shift from passive assistance to active empowerment. We have already seen positive signs with the employment of one hundred (120) persons with disabilities at the Centre of Equity Opportunities and Innovations in Palmyra, and the employment of two persons each by seven utility companies and service providers. This was all done in the past few months. For a group historically excluded from the labour market, this commitment by His Excellency, when realised, will provide not only dignity but financial independence for the beneficiaries.
Moreover, the President directed that a minimum of 10% of all space in every new government project, schools, community hubs, public offices, parks, and sports facilities, must be reserved specifically to serve persons with disabilities. This is a major step in mainstreaming accessibility into national planning rather than treating disability inclusion as an afterthought. Access to the built environment allows persons with disabilities to achieve a level of independence and allow them to participate in community life. Guyana’s expansion of public infrastructure is rapid; ensuring accessibility at this stage avoids recreating barriers for this community.
Another pertinent point is the President’s announcement that there will be a special facility for persons with disabilities at the soon-to-be launched “Development Bank”. This will allow those persons who have small or medium size businesses to access financing to stimulate growth. Additionally, those persons with disabilities desirous of establishing new businesses can access concessionary financing to do so. This is another measure that will ensure persons with disabilities have the opportunity to be financially independent.
Finally, the President outlined a number of action areas to guide disability inclusive interventions. These include caregiver support, education with stronger digital access, community empowerment, accessible transportation, accessible healthcare, housing, improved public service accessibility, and vocational skills training. When combined, these areas reflect an understanding that disability inclusion cannot be addressed by any single measure. Instead, it requires coordinated action across the various government ministries and agencies that are directly responsible for empowering persons with disabilities.
The December 5 letter rightly emphasises rising standard of living costs and the need for long-term solutions. Yet these very concerns are addressed within the multi-sector plan the President announced in his December 3 speech. The writer also lamented that the one-off cash grant does little to cover medical, transport, or assistive-device expenses. That argument is understandable. The challenges faced by persons with disabilities are indeed substantial. However, the purpose of a one-time grant is immediate relief, not the long-term solution that other components of the President’s strategy provided. A one-off payment placed within a larger reform effort should not be dismissed. Instead, it should be seen as one step within a strategic approach which provides short-term support, while building systems that reduce dependency and expand opportunities in the future.
Moreover, the broader December 3 observance emphasised partnerships and community-based initiatives that complement state interventions. It also highlights the government’s vision to move away from the charity approach to disability to a human rights approach to disability inclusion.
I am not suggesting through this letter that the government’s programme for disability inclusion is perfect or complete. Persons with disabilities must remain central in shaping every stage of policy and programme formulation. They are experts in their own lived experiences. As the popular slogan says, “nothing about us without us”. The concerns articulated by the writer in the December 5 letter echo realities that are being addressed. However, critique is most effective when it acknowledges the full scope of what is being attempted and a true picture of the realities. The President’s speech outlining the disability inclusion plan makes it clear that Guyana’s disability inclusion agenda is transitioning from vision to implementation, and that the cash grant is merely one element of a much larger transformation of the disability landscape.
If we are to advance the rights, dignity, independence, and economic participation of persons with disabilities, then national discourse must reflect the full and accurate picture of the reality. The goal should not be to applaud or condemn a single measure in isolation but to evaluate the system being constructed. As an advocate, I am pleased with the path we are travelling as a country in facilitating disability inclusion and I am optimistic that Guyana will become truly accessible for all persons with disabilities.