Minister Maginley meeting with the members of disability associations. View photo »

Minister of Health, the Honorable John Maginley, on Wednesday met with organizations serving persons living with disabilities at the Multi-purpose centre.

These organizations included the Antigua and Barbuda Association for Persons with Disabilities, Hands That Speak, the Sickle Cell Association, the Centre for Dyslexia Awareness, the Association of Parents of Exceptional Children, and the Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf in Jamaica.

The purpose of the meeting was to continue consultation with the organizations and to introduce persons to Mrs Theresa Bowick Smith, a Representative of Greater Rochester Partners of the Americas, who is currently visiting in Antigua. The local President, Stafford Joseph was also present. Partners of the Americas has been building unique bilateral partnerships between the United States and sections of Latin America and the Caribbean for the last forty years and is here to reestablish health care initiatives.

The Ministry of Health is currently reviewing a National Draft Policy on Disability prepared by the Antigua and Barbuda Association for Persons with Disabilities and Partners of the Americas has offered assistance in drafting the legislation.

Minister Maginley said issues such as education, health care, housing and building codes, and employment must be reviewed. All stakeholders and interested parties are invited to review the policy and submit their comments to the Ministry of Health by the 20th November 2005.

Minister Maginley has been meeting with the organizations to discuss their requirements for a centre that would serve all organizations working with persons living with disabilities. Now that stakeholders have had the opportunity to respond to the request, the Ministry is submitting the requests received to an architect for preliminary drawings. He informed the group that an architect would prepare preliminary drawings for the group to review.

Mrs Bowick Smith informed the meeting of a similar centre in Rochester that has been in operation since 1968 when parents, volunteers and several social service agencies came together to share a space while maintaining distinct missions and programmes.

Mrs Smith highlighted the strengths in sharing resources and staff and yet maintaining independence. She suggested that it could be used as a model for a similar centre in Antigua and also invited members to visit the centre in Rochester.

Minister Maginley welcomed the affiliation with Partners of the Americas. This is an opportunity for us to share expertise and also exchange information with an existing centre, he said. "Where resources are limited it is important to adopt a collaborative approach in order to assist each agency achieve its goals," he noted.