“It has awakened the needs of persons with disabilities, and it has allowed persons who didn’t know [that] there were organisations that they could reach out to,” said Goffe.
She was addressing persons from the disabled community who turned out at the Ripon Road-based association last week to collect 200 care packages provided by Senator Floyd Morris and his wife, Shelley-Ann, the LASCO Chin Foundation, Food For The Poor, GraceKennedy, and Jamaica Macaroni Factory Limited.
“Since COVID-19, my [phone] number has become a helpline,” said Goffe, who told The Gleaner that she has received more than 400 calls from persons interested in registering with the association or seeking help and counselling.
Senator Floyd Morris, a member of the association, was on hand to help with the distribution of some of the packages and underscored the importance of reaching out to persons with disabilities during the crisis.
According to the Combined Disabilities Association, about eight to 10 per cent of the Jamaican population has a disability, approximately 5,000 of whom are members of the association.
