Project chronicles contribution of 11 outstanding Jamaicans to culture through music and entertainment

Jamaican Senator Dr Floyd Morris, the inspirational disability advocate and academician, has published another book entitled Cultural Inclusion: The Case of Persons with Disabilities in Jamaica.

The book chronicles the contribution of 11 outstanding Jamaicans in their contribution to culture through music and entertainment. The prodigious contribution of Don Drummond, Michael Fairman, Israel Vibrations, Latifa Brown, Damion Rose, Peter Clarke, Frankie Paul, Adina Edwards and the Fab Five Band have all been documented in the growing scholarly contribution of Morris, who is visually challenged.

At the recent launch, Morris declared that he is on a mission to build a “Caribbean disability identity. In this mission, the talents and abilities of persons with disabilities must be highlighted”.

Traditionally, persons with disabilities are perceived as objects of charity as they are seen as individuals to be pitied and given charitable support.

Advocate for rights of disabled community

Today, according to Morris, “persons with disabilities are rights holders and their rights must be respected. I will be relentless in my pursuits to ensure that the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities are fully respected”.

In the book, the Opposition senator was explicit in his expressions about the way society has restricted the participation and inclusion of persons with disabilities. These restrictions, according to him, have contributed to the marginalisation of a significant portion of the Jamaican population.

Morris is advocating for governments to put in place progressive programmes and policies to unlock the talents and abilities of persons with disabilities. Opposition Leader Mark Golding, who was the guest speaker at the launch, highlighted the need for including persons with disabilities in the mainstream of society.

He told the audience about the role that he played in ensuring that the Disabilities Act was brought to the Parliament in 2014, as he was the then minister of justice and chairman of the Legislative Committee, a sub-committee of the Cabinet. Golding commended the publication of the book and indicated that it was a very good read for individuals to understand the contributions of persons with disabilities to society.

The book is published by Arawak Publishing and can be bought on Amazon.