Persons with disabilities must be treated equally – Dr. Ramsammy

Advisor to the Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy says persons living with disabilities must be treated equally and have equal rights to employment.

He made this statement on Thursday, at a graduation ceremony held by the National Vocational Training Centre for Persons with Disabilities.

“So, if we talk about equity and equality of every citizen then we also have to create an environment in which persons living with either physical or mental disabilities or other disabilities can equally access training opportunities”, Dr. Ramsammy said.

He noted that there must be an increase in investment for training and educational opportunities for persons living with disabilities. Dr. Ramsammy said those individuals must not be excluded from society, but must be able to participate fairly.

Director of the training centre, Dr. Ariane Mangar said “the Open Doors Centre has come a long way and has definitely seen growth in this area of helping young persons with disabilities”.

Dr. Mangar said persons between the ages of 16 and 45 can enroll in the training programme. She noted that persons with disabilities have many challenges and the centre aims at helping them to live independent and full lives.

Meanwhile, ‘Best Graduating Student’, 21-year-old Angela Josiah, who excelled in the Beauty Care programme said “I will forever be thankful for the training I received.” The 22 participants graduated in the fields of Carpentry, Beauty Care, Information Technology and Garments and Crafts.

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