Wriiten by United Nations Development Programme, for Melange Accessibility Tidbits, April 30, 2024
The Government of Bermuda is advancing its vision for strengthened services, opportunities, and policies for persons with disabilities, with the historic launch of a National Disability Register mobile application on the steps of City Hall on Wednesday, 24 April.
The Launch was highlighted by the first in a series of registration drives to digitally register persons with disabilities on the app, as well as a knowledge fair attended by organizations which provide services, products, and programmes to the community.
Implemented by Bermuda’s Ministry of Youth, Social Development and Seniors with financial and technical support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the mobile app is available for download from Apple App and Google Play Stores. An inclusive text to speech feature translates written text on the app to voice so that the words can be heard by the blind.
Minister Tinée Furbert, joined by UNDP Assistant Resident Representative ad interim Kimberley Wilson representing UNDP Resident Representative Kishan Khoday, formally launched the mobile app during Wednesday’s outdoor registration attended by scores of the community, including parents and caregivers.
She said the data collected during the island-wide registration drives will provide the government with information to further develop the app, guide policy in healthcare, education, and accessibility initiatives, and facilitate targeted support and delivery of resources to the community.
Calling the launch of the register a significant milestone in Bermuda’s history, Minister Furbert said “empowering persons with disabilities through accurate data representation is crucial for promoting and encouraging active participation in society.”
She challenged everyone to partner on a shared inclusive vision for Bermuda. “In doing this, we can collectively progress towards not only achieving the sustainable development goals, but we can break down barriers, we can challenge stereotypes and create a Bermuda where persons with disabilities can fully participate and thrive,” she said.
UNDP Resident Representative Kishan Khoday, in remarks delivered on his behalf by Ms. Wilson, called for continued investments in bolstering the access of persons with disabilities to social and economic resources. “This will contribute to creating innovative, critical thinking change-makers and thought leaders from the community who can help redefine the 21st century,” he said.
He commended the Government of Bermuda for their heightened efforts to create an enabling environment where persons with disabilities feel valued, supported, and empowered to thrive, and offered UNDP’s continued support for any future digitization and inclusive development solutions that ensure development outcomes are enjoyed by all. He urged all persons with disabilities to attend the registration drives. “In so doing you ensure your government is better positioned to tailor fit for purpose services and policies to improve your lives,” he said.
UNDP, which has declared its support for innovation-led digital solutions to advance development, only recently financed the Government of The Bahamas’s AccessAbility mobile app. The digital application offers job listings, geotagging for crisis relocation, deaf interpretation, and soon, accessible transportation for persons with disabilities. In expanding its programmatic footprint in Bermuda, UNDP is partnering on the Disability Register by building on the successes and lessons learned from The Bahamas. The digital solutions are financed under UNDP’s Social Resilience and Inclusion portfolio in its 2022 to 2026 Country Programme. Other portfolios include: Citizen Safety and Security and Rule of Law; Climate Change Resilience; and Sustainable Natural Resource Management.