$120M allocated for skills-based training of persons with disabilities

…Minister calls for end to prejudice, barriers against deaf community

Today being the International Day of Sign Language, observed annually on September 23, the Human Services and Social Security Ministry will be rolling out a series of skills-based training that targets persons with disabilities, so that they can become empowered and qualified to gain meaningful employment.
This year’s theme for the International Day of Sign Language is, “We Sign for Human Rights”.

In the 2021 national budget, $120M was allocated for training and empowerment activities for persons living with disabilities. This training will be free to participants, and is expected to benefit hundreds of persons living with disabilities across Guyana.
The Ministry has chosen to promote sign language learning as an effective way of communication, with the hope that prejudice and other barriers affecting the deaf and hearing-impaired would see a reduction.
The Ministry has partnered with the Deaf Association of Guyana through Public Service Announcements (PSAs) to generate greater awareness about the capabilities of persons who are deaf, to promote their inclusion and end discrimination.
To this end, the Ministry has sponsored the printing of sign language booklets.
Additionally, the Government will be constructing in Mahaica a disability complex that would offer relevant and practical training.
There are over 72 million deaf persons around the world, and 80 percent of this number comes from developing countries, such as Guyana. Locally, there are over 2,000 persons with hearing impairment, they are predominantly from Regions Three, Four, Six and Ten.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were approximately 54 deaf students in special needs schools.
Guyana is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the Ministry has been engaging the Deaf Association of Guyana in several ways. Persons from the deaf community participated in its cottage industry initiative last year, which allowed for a number of persons to earn by sewing face masks that were distributed to various agencies across Guyana.
The Ministry firmly believes that a more equitable and inclusive society must be created, wherein individuals who are deaf can feel valued and fully integrated into mainstream society, with the guarantee that their basic human rights are secured.