Fitzwilliam urges government, private sector: Assist the disabled

CEO of Ma Pau Wendy Fitzwilliam is urging policy-makers, private sector and the public to consider the challenges the disabled face and make efforts to facilitate their inclusion into wider society.

Fitzwilliam made the call after her company donated a wheelchair to 13-year-old Jaydan Charles who suffers with cerebral palsy at the AA Laquis medical supplies store on Ariapita Avenue, on Friday afternoon.

Speaking with Newsday, Fitzwilliam said Charles' mother Colleen Edwards was a former Ma Pau employee who had to stop working to better care for her son.

She said the the wheelchair was donated to him not only to assist in his development, but also to raise awareness on the need to include the disabled and assist them in having healthy, meaningful lives.

Noting the wheelchair which was donated cost over $33,000, Fitzwilliam said the costly nature of such an important piece of equipment was a major challenge to families of disabled people.

"Today is about giving this young man who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford a chair he literally needs for his mobility, but it's so much more than that. It's an opportunity for us to raise awareness on cerebral palsy and the difficulties that our families who are challenged with this disease face in TT.

"We do have good social services but there are loopholes in the system for our more severely disabled population that makes it very difficult to just carry on with life as we know it.

"Initially, Colleen was able to work and have caregivers and family members assist her in taking care of her child, but taking care of Jaydan now as a 13-year-old boy is a full-time job. She's not a stay-at-home mom, she's a working-from-home mom.

"We need to change the system where you don't just get a grant, where you have access to care, you have access to caregivers."

Fitzwilliam said the private sector and citizens also had a responsibility to assist the disabled and show compassion for their difficulties.

"It's little things – this is not just writing a paper in abstract, the impact of what we do in that regard directly affects our citizens, and it's thinking that through.

"It's about being a little bit more patient if you're driving down the road and a mommy is pushing a Jaydan across the street. You might be in a hurry, but stop the car and be polite.

"It's little and big ways."

Newsday also spoke to Edwards who said she was heartened by the assistance from her former employers and thanked them for their assistance.

Noting that the wheelchair was more comfortable for her son, it was also equipped with safety belts that would prevent him from falling over when being pushed on inclines.

"We had a difficult run because he has challenges and the support is really hard to come by with grants and even medical care.

"He had an adult wheelchair which was larger, which wasn't safe for him because he kept falling out of it when he was going up and down stairs. So this new wheelchair will be very helpful to him because he can't use brakes and he can't protect himself if he's falling."

Edwards agreed that more should be done to assist the families of the disabled and hoped that more people would rally to assist those in need.

Occupational therapist for AA Laquis Jan Sabga said she was pleased to assist in the initiative.