Bahamas app for persons with disabilities revolutionised with UNDP support

Opportunities and services previously out of reach for many persons with disabilities in The Bahamas are now easier to access with groundbreaking upgrades to the ‘AccessAbility’ mobile app innovated by the National Commission of Persons with Disabilities (NCPD), through a Bahamian APP developer.

From January, 2023, persons with disabilities registered on the App will be able to book accessible transportation, allowing them unprecedented freedom of movement. 

Financing for the App and the related public education programme was contributed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through its Multi Country Office located in Jamaica which serves The Bahamas among five English-speaking countries in the northern Caribbean.

The App is available for free download from Google Play and the App Store and is also preloaded on all new devices purchased from local telecommunications provider Aliv in partnership with NCPD.  

For now, services available on the App include free interpreter services for the deaf and hard of hearing; disaster alerts from National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA); free registration with NCPD which includes mapped location of registered persons with disabilities in times of disaster; complaints mechanism; bus routes showing street by street movement ; request for adaptive equipment and other services; business directory for organisations compliant with the Disabilities Act; Career/job listings; as well as trending local and international news and resources.

At the launch event on Sunday (4 December), Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Philip Davis said that The Bahamas aimed to achieve inclusion and accessibility on a level playing field for persons with disabilities and that the App was one of the means through which this could be achieved. He lauded the services provided through the app and highlighted the accessible transportation, one touch access to emergency services and sign language interpretation.  

The Prime Minister announced that the Department of Labour will enable job listings in the AccessAbility app, and further reminded employers of provisions in the Disability Act for the employment of one person with a disability for every 100 employees. “I am asking corporate Bahamas to join the Government in recognising the potential in persons with disabilities and providing employment opportunities that may never have been considered before,” he said. 

Other major disclosures made by the Prime Minister included The Bahamas’ ratification of ILO Convention 159 establishing the right of persons with disabilities to vocational rehabilitation and employment opportunities, and the successful implementation of the Nassau Airports Development’s Sunflower Laynard programme offering empathetic and specialised service to travelling persons with disabilities  

 

Minister of Social Services and Urban Development, the Hon. Obediah Wilchcombe, said exclusion of person with disabilities over the years has been troubling, but the mobile app will help bring the community closer to realising inclusion and becoming part of the normalcy of the country. “We are elated and moved. Persons with disabilities are celebrating because we have come a long way and UNDP is helping to make a difference” Minister Wilchcombe stated.

UNDP Resident Representative Denise E Antonio said recognising that Disability Inclusion is a development issue requiring continued attention and investment, UNDP supported the Government’s mission to expand digital inclusion to marginalised groups through the Digital Access for All (DAFA) Bahamas Project, specifically focusing on the AccessAbility Mobile App and public education.  

She reiterated UNDP’s commitment to improving ICT infrastructure and digital access with and for persons with disabilities in The Bahamas; advancing gender equality and the empowerment of persons with disabilities in The Bahamas and forging partnerships to identify challenges and potential solutions to reduce inequalities against Persons with Disabilities.  “It is crucial for governments, public and private sectors, to collaboratively find innovative solutions with and for persons with disabilities, to make the world a more accessible and equitable place,” the Resident Representative noted. 

She encouraged Persons with Disabilities to register with the NCPD through the App to ensure they benefit from a wide array of services.

The launch of the AccessAbility mobile app will be immediately followed by a multimedia public education campaign to encourage awareness, downloads, and usage among persons with disabilities. 

Technology and digitalisation are considered enablers in UNDP’s global service offer of six signature solutions focusing on leaving no one behind. To this end, UNDP partners with countries to develop appropriate digital solutions which help advance poverty eradication, inclusion, equality and crisis resilience.  UNDP Multi Country Office in Jamaica serves Jamaica, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands. 

......................................................................

Contact:    Gillian Scott, UNDP Communications Analyst, Kingston office, 1 -3 Lady Musgrave Road, Kingston 5, Jamaica. Tel: 876 978 2390 – 9 Ext 2032; Mobile & WhatsApp: 876 509 0724; Email: gillian.scott@undp.org

Contact: For Additional information about the AccessAbility App, contact Townsley Roberts of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities.  1-242-397-8600 or townsleyroberts@bahams.gov.bs

ABOUT UNDP: UNDP works in about 170 countries and territories, helping to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and exclusion, and build resilience so countries can sustain progress.