The Montserrat Association for Persons with Disabilities (MAPD) joins the global community in marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2025 under the theme “Fostering disability‑inclusive societies for advancing social progress.”
This theme speaks directly to Montserrat’s future: the island cannot achieve real social and economic progress while disabled people continue to face barriers in work, education, health, transport, housing and public life.
MAPD welcomes the fact that the Government of Montserrat has now agreed a National Disability Policy and that the new Population Policy recognises disability inclusion as essential to Montserrat’s development. Together, these policies identify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as the “north star” for action and sit alongside existing protections in the Labour Code, the OECS Building Code, CROSQ standards and the Montserrat Constitution.
The challenge now is to move from frameworks on paper to real enforcement, so that non‑discrimination, reasonable accommodation and accessibility requirements are implemented in every ministry, workplace and public service.
Steve Weekes, Vice President of MAPD, said: “We are grateful for the opportunities we’ve had over the past year to contribute to policy developments on the island, and there has been a very noticeable increase in consultation since last year’s draft National Disability Policy. With this year’s theme of ‘Fostering disability‑inclusive societies for advancing social progress,’ we are calling for that consultation to be matched by concrete action, proper enforcement of existing standards and real investment in accessibility, so that disabled people on Montserrat – and those who wish to return – can live, work and participate on equal terms.”
MAPD is actively seeking new volunteers on island and in the diaspora to help with advocacy, peer support, outreach and practical accessibility projects. Anyone wishing to get involved, seek support or discuss partnership opportunities is invited to contact MAPD through our Facebook page @montserratdisability.