BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - MEMBERS of the public, including politicians, now have a better appreciation for the plight of the differently-abled after participated in the “Walk in my Shoes” activity organized by the St. Kitts Nevis Association of Persons with Disabilities yesterday (Nov. 30).
The activity was part of the Association’s week of activities organized around International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which is to be observed on December 3, 2016.
Parliamentarians the Hons. Eugene Hamilton and Konris Maynard were among the group of individuals who participated in the activity, which saw them being blindfolded to simulate blindness, given walking stick, and being led through the streets of Basseterre.
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The Hon. Maynard
While participating in the exercise, Maynard, Parliamentary Representative for Constituency Number Three, told SKNVibes he quickly realized that the little things he was accustomed to observe with his eyes were not recognizable to him anymore.
“You always know it’s a challenge for those who have lost their sight, but to live with it is always a different experience. For instance now, the first thing I noticed is that I have to differentiate everything by my ears. That it’s you there because I know your voice. This is not anything you wish for and so you totally get a great appreciation of what would it be living in darkness. I don’t know how many people are around, I don’t know who is watching, I don’t know the colours of the cars, and so you really have to appreciate people in their own dimensions and not take anybody for granted because you don’t know what it is they are going through in their own lives.”
Maynard said he had always believed that people should understand the experiences of the differently-abled, but now he has a greater appreciation for what they endure.
The Hon. Hamilton
The Minister of Health told this publication of his hope that a greater appreciation for the challenges faced by the differently-abled would be engendered as a result of the exercise.
“I hope one of the lessons would be that people would have a greater appreciation for people who are differently-abled and also for the situations they would encounter daily and the difficulty they would have accomplishing everyday tasks.”
Diana Pemberton – a PEP representative
A dancer and a volunteer with Association, Pemberton, who was wheelchair-bound for the exercise, said while she did have an appreciation for the plight of differently-abled individuals, that has increased exponentially.
“I am very active, I am a dancer so I use my body every week, but this was different. I never realized how much strength in the arms I would have to use and I would always see Tony (Anthony Mills) on the road and stop for him and he would say it is okay. But now every time I see him I would have to give him a ride because it is tough.
“Then the sidewalks are not wheelchair accessible, so you get a better appreciation as to why they are lobbying to ensure that they are. Because most of the roads have an incline so you have to be struggling to stay balanced etc. But it was difficult. I have always had an appreciation for persons with disabilities and that’s why I volunteer my time with the Association, but more so now.”
Gloria Esdaile-Robinson of the TDC Group of Companies
Esdaile-Robinson joined in the exercise for about the last five minutes of it as a wheelchair-bound individual. And as she explained to this media house, it was still quite a difficult task to maneuver the wheelchair.
“I was wheelchair-bound just for a short moment and it’s amazing. My arms are hurting me, my hands are black just from having to turn the wheels. It is very difficult to maneuver. You actually have to practice in being able to use these chairs. As I said before, kudos to persons who are able to do this on a daily basis.
“Definitely, I have an appreciation for what they go through. I know sometimes we do not make it easy; we see them and don’t offer assistance. So I really hope that this exercise generates the awareness that we need to be more supportive, more helpful to persons with disabilities.”
Calypsonian King Socrates
Also joining the exercise for the last five minutes of it was a blindfolded King Socrates, who said it was a sobering experience.
“Being diabetic, I am painfully aware that one day blindness or amputation could be a distinct possibility. And so seeing the demonstration this morning and being asked to join in as a blind person was impacting, because one thing I would rather not happen to me is blindness.
“If you lose a limb you can still function because you still have mobility, but not having any vision is a major impediment. And for those who have to live with that for their entire lives, it is really, really a sobering realization.”
President of the Association Anthony Mills spoke with SKNVibes at the conclusion of the exercise and expressed that although he would have hoped for more participation from Parliamentarians and other members of the public, it was still a success.
“The idea was to get people to be temporarily disabled so they could see what we experience on a daily basis. Out of this now we are hoping to bring an awareness and bringing about the type of change that people with disabilities have been asking for, such as better access to information, education and better access to infrastructure around the island.”
The idea for the Walk in My Shoes activity was birthed by Shodella Taylor, a member of the Association, who told this publication that she “just wanted the general public to understand the challenges that we face. Even though they are not going to have the full effect of it, there would be something that shifts inside of them to understand this is what we deal with, this is what we go through on a daily basis and these changes need to be made sooner rather than later”.
