Plea to PM for disabled

THE EDITOR: You may want to publish this letter written to The Hon Patrick Manning, Prime Minister, Trinidad and Tobago. Dear Prime Minister Manning: I respectfully request for your positive and immediate response to the demand by your (and our) brothers and sisters with disabilities in your country. They are human beings. Your citizens with disabilities have a great potential to be happy, productive members of your country. When President George Bush, Sr signed the ADA — the Americans with Disabi-lities Act — in the South Lawn of the White House in front of 3,000 plus people with disabilities and members of the US Senate and House of Representatives on July 26, 1990, my late husband, Justin Dart Jr was sitting right next to the President in his wheelchair. We all rejoiced in the new Declaration of Independence for people with disabilities in USA. The world watched it.

Justin was the Chairman of the US President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. He also was a proud member of ADAPT a quite active and effective group of many severely disabled people who do street demonstrations, marches and rallies demanding “equal access to the American dream.” He supported and participated in non-violent civil disobedience in order to get the job done for justice for all. I, too am a proud ADAPT member myself.  Mr Prime Minister, you have the power.  I pray that you will act swiftly on your principles with love and truth for the human dream. I love you! Lead on.

YOSHIKO DART
Port-of-Spain