LABOUR and Social Security Minister Derrick Kellier and the Opposition spokesman on Labour Pearnel Charles, respectively, stated in Parliament in July that 10 per cent of Jamaicans are disabled and 82 per cent of persons with disabilities were living below the poverty line.

In Pearnel Charles’ presentation to Parliament in the discourse regarding the new Disabilities Bill, there was no further empirical data to allow us to analyse the reasons for the state of poverty for this group of Jamaicans. So, let us take the liberty of presenting a few possible scenarios that could have led to poverty by Jamaicans with special needs.

Scenario #1

NO PLAN FOR CRITICAL ILLNESS = POVERTY

First, let us imagine that the main breadwinner suffered a stroke or a heart attack. That meant our breadwinner could not work and the means to care for their special needs child was greatly reduced. With the financial limitations on the family, the path to poverty is assured.

Scenario #2

NO PLAN FOR ACCIDENTS = POVERTY

Or maybe the main breadwinner was a humble Jamaican travelling on the bus. That bus crashed and our breadwinner suffered some form of injury. There is, of course, recourse offered by the judicial system in which our breadwinner could sue the owner of the bus. However, the financial needs would be immediate and justice would not.

Therefore, the special-needs child would not be supported in their need for therapy, which requires travelling as the injured breadwinner would not be in a position to do so.

Scenario #3

NO PLAN FOR ASSETS = POVERTY

Another scenario is with our breadwinner, who is now an astute business person. He has assets, cash and investments to weather any storm that befalls during his lifetime. And because he has established a close-knit family, he is mentally assured that the special needs child will be taken care of by somebody as there are assets in place.

Our breadwinner subsequently dies. There is no special needs trust in place, there are no trustees appointed to advocate for the special-needs child, who perhaps is now an adult. There was no financial structure in place to fund the special needs care required through adulthood to retirement. And so as the children and family members divide the breadwinner’s assets among themselves, little thought is given to the future of the disabled family member.

These are three scenarios that could have led to Charles’ assertion. We are all in a position to act now to end the blight of poverty among Jamaicans who will be vulnerable for the rest of their lives.

You can learn more about how to implement these strategies on September 13th at the Special Needs Legal & Financial Planning seminar hosted by Special Needs Jamaica in partnership with Scotia Insurance, JN Fund Managers, Digicel Foundation, the Administrator General’s Department, the Law Offices of Harrison & Harrison, and the Jamaica Down’s Syndrome Foundation. Register at www.specialneedsjamaica.com or send an email to jamaicadownssyndrome@cwjamaica.com.