The National Disabilities Unit was conceptualized by the Government of Barbados through the Ministry of Labour, Community Development and Sports in 1995, and the idea was formally pursued during 1996.

The visit to Barbados by a Disability Consultant from the Florida Association of Voluntary Agencies for Caribbean Action (FAVACA) included a tour of the then available facilities and a workshop was held at the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium. This was followed by a visit to Florida to examine some of the facilities available to Persons with Disabilities and to understand some of the management tasks in establishing and developing disability services and programmes.

A Task Force on Disability was established by the Ministry of Labour, Community Development and Sports in January 1996 and it published a report in February 1997. Simultaneously, much of the groundwork to establish a Unit was being prepared and at an Estimates of Expenditure meeting in January 1997, monies were allocated for the establishment of a Disability Unit and this was confirmed in the Estimates of Expenditure debate of that year.

The National Disabilities Unit was formally opened on December 3rd 1997 on the International Day for the Disabled. Over the years it was further developed and has been fully functional for the past twenty-eight years.

Barbados, having ratified the UNCRPD in 2013, demonstrated its dedication to uplifting and safeguarding the rights of its citizens with disabilities. Embracing the principles of the UNCRPD, Barbados is committed to establishing an inclusive society that recognizes the contributions and potential of its population of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).

Target Population/Categories of Disability

• Urinary or Reproductive Functions
• Movement Functions
• Skin Related Functions
• Mental Functions

Services

• Training in Flower Arranging
• Transportation
• Handrails
• Dental Services for Autistic children
• Back braces for children

Assistive Devices Offered

• Walkers
• Bathchairs
• Crutches

Explanation of Terms

DEFINITION OF TERMS (Taken from the International Classification of Impairments, Disability and Handicaps – World Health Organisation)

IMPAIRMENT: Any loss or abnormality of psychological or anatomical structure or function.

DISABILITY: Any restriction or lack (resulting from an Impairment) of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being.

HANDICAP: A disadvantage for a given individual, resulting from an impairment or disability, that limits or prevents the fulfilment of a role that is normal, depending on age, sex, social and cultural factors, for that individual. It describes the encounter between a person with a disability and the environment.

PREVENTION: Measures aimed at preventing the onset of physical, intellectual, psychiatric and sensory impairments (primary prevention) or at preventing impairment, when it has occurred, from causing permanent functional limitation or disability (secondary prevention).

REHABILITATION: A goal-oriented and time-limited process aimed at enabling Persons with Disabilities to reach and maintain an optimum physical, sensory, intellectual, psychiatric and/ or social functional level, thus providing them with the tools to change their lives towards a higher level of independence.

EQUALISATION OF OPPORTUNITIES: The process through which the general system of society, such as the physical and cultural environment, housing and transportation, social and health services, educational and work opportunities, cultural and social life, including sports and recreational facilities, are made accessible to all.