Affirmative action needed for the differently-abled

Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn has renewed his call for a more proactive approach to employment and inclusion for differently-abled residents, urging the government to adopt affirmative-action-style measures to ensure that persons with disabilities are not left behind economically and socially.

Affirmative action generally refers to policies or practices designed to reduce discrimination and address historical inequalities by giving additional consideration to groups that have been disadvantaged.

He said the Virgin Islands should look to affirmative action models for persons with disabilities used in other jurisdictions, such as the United States. In the US, Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act requires federal agencies to adopt affirmative action plans aimed at improving the recruitment, hiring and retention of individuals with disabilities, recognising that traditional hiring practices alone have not closed employment gaps.

Walwyn said he wants differently-abled people to “feel like they’re part of the community,” and proposed that programmes similar to the Government’s RATED employment initiative be extended or adapted to support them, whether in the public or private sector.

“It can’t be a good thing that you get up every morning … and because you just happen to have a disability, you are thrown on the side,” he said. He also criticised the government policies that use the same employment measures for this vulnerable community and the rest of the society. “These are people who have difficulties. You can’t use the same metric for them,” the Sixth District representative stressed.

He explained that during the Standing Finance Committee process for the finalisation of the 2026 budget, he questioned officials about what programmes existed for differently-abled persons and was told that there was an initiative in place. Acting on that assurance, he submitted a name to see how the programme would work in practice. “I sent one name as a tester. I ain’t get a thing do. Nothing!” Walwyn said, adding that the individual was later told they would have to apply and go through a standard process. “No, that is not the approach,” he stressed.

He warned that exclusion has real human consequences, noting that it cannot be healthy for individuals to watch society progress while they remain sidelined simply because of a disability. “That can’t be a good feeling,” he said.