Imagine walking into a store and not being able to communicate quickly or easily with the staff.

Adding to your frustration, other customers behind you are beginning to lose patience with your inability to explain yourself, causing you to leave without getting what you needed.

For most being a person with disabilities in TT not only means having limited access to basic services but also at times dealing with discouraging attitudes from the public.

Despite these challenges, the issuance of a US$300,000 grant from the United Nations (UN) has reignited hope that TT's institutions and perceptions can be improved to better include the disabled.

The grant which was issued by the UN Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD) will go towards formulating policies to review legislation while addressing discrimination.

While the grant promises to change the way the disabled are seen and treated, it won't be easy owing to several factors.

Dr Taralene Malcolm, the non-communicable disease adviser for the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and lead on the project it aims to promote long-term change through legislative review, and short-term changes by ramping up an aggressive public information campaign on inclusion and acceptance of the disabled.

[caption id="attachment_943168" align="alignnone" width="720"] Parking for the disabled. -[/caption]

"We had a stakeholders meeting where we presented to the stakeholders the challenges that were found and then identify those priority areas that could be included in the grant, keeping in mind that the grant is for two years and it's US$300,000 so we have to be practical, we have to be realistic and coming out of that stakeholder meeting we were able to prioritise and identify the key areas for implementation in this phase of the grant."

The two implementing agencies of the grant are PAHO – which will lead the legislative review using US$170,000 – and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) which will use US$130,000 to compile data and begin capacity-building.

While there has been generally positive feedback from stakeholders, researchers and co-ordinators alike may have to start from scratch in some areas.

Where is the data?

Among the challenges in structuring the project and determining which areas were most in need was the lack of current data, Malcolm said.

This is a crucial gap in any policy-making exercise as up-to-date information informs which areas are most in need of development.

Newsday reported on the initial phase of the project last July and the absence of critical data was also highlighted then as a limiting factor.

[caption id="attachment_943167" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Julia Ribeiro is a researcher working with the PAHO to gather information on the state of the disabled community in TT. - PHOTO COURTESY JULIA RIBEIRO[/caption]

Research assistant Julia Ribeiro said the lack of basic information can be a severe hindrance to the goals of the project.

"What is the employment status? What is the education level sta