Lisa Williams (left), Secretary of NUSB; and Rudyard Welch, President of NUSB.
We are employable, says NUSB president
Tue, 05/31/2016 - 12:00am
By:
Terissa John
“Disabled people are ordinary people. We are just like everyone else and are employable.”
This is the stance from Rudyard Welch, President of the National United Society of the Blind (NUSB), during a panel discussion at Harambee House. Under the theme ‘United We Stand, Divided We Fall’, the panel discussion focused on the topic ‘Rehabilitation’.
He told The Barbados Advocate, “We are focusing on blindness, but the overall cause is for all persons with disabilities.
“Rehabilitation for persons with disabilities is important and the redeployment for those cases where persons become disabled and wish to fulfil their desires to continue working.”
Welch noted, “One thing I hope persons took away from the panel discussion is that they are able to make a meaningful contribution to society. Being disabled does not mean persons with disabilities should be borderline or unemployed because they have a disability.
“I understand the fears of employers, but it is my belief that they need to have dialogue with us and we can remove those fears.
“Too often persons are stigmatised because persons feel if you are blind you can’t do anything. Blind people are employable. Employers just need to understand us.”
Senator Kerryann Ifill, one of the panelists of the discussion, noted: “One thing I hope persons took away is there are options and opportunities available. We just have to overcome our innate fears and know our rights in order to demand those rights.”
“Stigma is a large part of what persons with disabilities face. People do not understand disability. They automatically assume being disabled puts you in a category apart from them without realising you are a part of the society.”
“Going forward I want to encourage persons. If you are a person who has acquired a disability, you are still the person you were before that disability. You may have a functional limitation, but that does not limit your capacity to contribute and take care of your family.”
“To those persons born with a disability or those who have had a disability since childhood, do not let anyone demote you or depreciate your value. There are millions of options available to you out there.”