Seven persons with disabilities have secured employment through an initiative supported by the Ministry of Social and Urban Transformation, a development being hailed as a major milestone in advancing inclusion and economic opportunities for persons with disabilities in Antigua and Barbuda.

President of the Antigua and Barbuda Association of Persons with Disabilities (ABAPD), Bernard Warner, announced the achievement, describing it as the result of more than two decades of advocacy by the organisation for greater employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.

According to Warner, shortly after Minister of Social and Urban Transformation Hon. Rawdon Turner was elected to office, the ABAPD wrote to him requesting employment opportunities for persons with disabilities through his ministry.

“We really want to thank Minister Turner for lobbying and pushing this for us. Minister Turner wrote to Cabinet and Cabinet approved for eight persons with disabilities to be gainfully employed,” Warner explained.

Although the process took quite some time, Warner said seven individuals have since taken up employment and are now earning weekly salaries.

“We’re joyful to share this good work with the public. This is really something that we need to celebrate because the work of the ABAPD is not just about social media and edited posts. We have used a strategy of writing, meetings, and negotiations, and we have seen the benefit,” he said.

The employees are engaged in a variety of activities, including seed propagation, landscaping, hydroponics, aquaponics, and horticulture therapy.

Warner said the horticulture therapy programme, one of the association’s flagship initiatives, promotes a soil and plant-based approach to therapy and rehabilitation.

The programme encourages participation by elderly individuals and persons facing mobility challenges by engaging them in gardening activities, creating wreaths, and interacting with nature.

He noted that the initiative also aligns with efforts to address food security and climate change, emphasizing that persons with disabilities must be equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to adapt and thrive.

“The government, through the ministry, has really given us a tool and an opportunity to get employment for these individuals so that they can fully realize their potential and contribute back to society through gainful employment,” Warner said.

The ABAPD president revealed that discussions are already underway with officials responsible for the Job Experience Programme to create additional opportunities for young people with disabilities.

Warner also commended the Government of Antigua and Barbuda for its continued investment in persons with disabilities, which he said amounts to millions of dollars over the years.

One of the employees, Nevelyn Noel, said she is deeply grateful for the opportunity to be employed through the Ministry of Social and Urban Transformation, noting that before securing the job she was unemployed and faced significant challenges.

She said people often focus on a person’s disability rather than their abilities.

“Most people, when they see someone with a disability, the first thing they look at is the part of our body that’s different, but they don’t realize we have the brain for it and we have the hands for it. All we need is work so we can provide for ourselves and our families,” Noel said.

Noel described her workplace as a family environment and said the income has already made a meaningful difference in her life, allowing her to purchase a refrigerator and meet other important needs.

“I have a job, and that is the most important thing. I’m grateful to the association and especially to Bernard Warner and Minister Rawdon Turner because if it weren’t for him, I’d still be home without work and without money,” she said.