‘Walk A Mile in My Shoes’ important

In an effort to get members of the mainstream society to become aware of what the obstacles are for persons living with a disability face on a day-to-day basis, a walk was held.

This is coming from President of BARNOD Inc., Colbert Ashby who spoke with The Barbados Advocate after the “Walk A Mile in My Shoes” event last Saturday.

“The walk today is in its second year. Last year was our inaugural walk of ‘Walk A Mile in My Shoes.’ The conception was to sensitise and bring awareness to persons outside of a disability to have an idea of the challenges that persons with a disability face on the streets of Barbados. So we had asked persons to simulate being in a wheelchair, being blindfolded, walking with crutches or whatever; any sort of disability that you are comfortable with, so that you can simulate that and then report on the experiences that you had as you came down,” he said.

Another aim of the walk is to raise funds for their training programmes and other initiatives.

They had printed shirts which were sold at $25 during registration for the walk and they also had donations and fundraising activities at SkyMall for which they had solicited funds to help with the event.

He said that both corporate Barbados as well as members of the public provided a good response to their fundraising events and they are hoping that this continues as all the money raised goes towards a worthy cause.

The walk itself is getting bigger. “It is getting bigger than it was last year which shows that persons are coming on board to walk that walk with persons with disabilities… and despite the inclement weather which we had - we still had a large turnout. So people braved the weather and came out to make this walk what is was today for 2018,” he said.

More than 300 walkers – who ranged in ages from as young as five years old to the more mature 70 years old – started off at the Clock Tower by the Garrison Savannah a little after the scheduled 7 am start, as a result of the inclement weather and then they made their way swiftly down Paddock Road, across Delkeith Road, onto Beckles Road, then up Bay Street, heading down to Jemmot’s Lane, onto River Road across Probyn
Street and then into Independence Square. They were ably accompanied by music by DJ Glenfield Cadogan.

Joining BARNOD Inc. on the walk were members of the Barbados Council for the Disabled (BCD), the National United Society of the Blind, Parents of Children with Disabilities, the Sir Albert Cecil Graham Development Centre as well as the General Secretary of the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB), Dennis de Peiza,

Ashby added that given the interest shown in the walk, they are planning on making this an annual event.