Cabinet Office

On 1 August, 2016, Government published The Disabilities (Solomon Webster) Bill, 2016 - GREEN BILL in the Cayman Islands Gazette. This Bill seeks to implement important parts of the Cayman Islands Disability Policy 2014-2033 and further promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities by:

• Protecting persons with disabilities from having their civil and political rights infringed by any person (including individuals and non-governmental entities) in specified instances where the Constitution and other laws do not adequately address particular vulnerabilities;
• Enshrining within primary legislation the principle of equality of access to rights and progressive elimination of discrimination in economic, social and cultural fields;
• Establishing the National Council for Persons with Disabilities to act as a “watchdog” overseeing policy implementation and championing for disability matters; and
• Creating the voluntary Disabilities Register to improve the quantity and quality of data that is available on persons with disabilities in order to inform policy, legislation and services.

Solomon Webster is commemorated in the name of the Bill because, as a young man with a disability, he creatively and tenaciously worked to achieve and develop to his best ability despite his challenges. Solomon constantly strove to better himself, his family and his community and represented the Cayman Islands internationally as a Special Olympics athlete. He was tragically killed in 2014.

The Bill’s sponsor, Premier the Hon. Alden McLaughlin, stated: “My administration is committed to fostering a culture of respect for human rights, including strengthening legislative protections for persons with disabilities.”

In 2014, a Task Force was created to oversee implementation of the Disability Policy until the National Council could be established in law. Various stakeholders will be consulted to ensure avenues for claims regarding breaches of the Bill’s provisions are accessible for persons with disabilities and will effectively promote compliance. Cabinet will then consider proposals for enforcement and make regulations, which will provide for these matters.

The Disability Policy also calls for review and amendment of existing legislation in order to effectively mainstream and address disability matters in areas such as education, employment, health, and planning/building codes. A temporary Legal Subcommittee established when the Policy was being developed made recommendations for legislative reform. Some of these recommendations are already under consideration by the responsible Ministries. When established by law, the Council is expected to consistently keep legislation, policies and programmes under review, make recommendations, and monitor reform across all subject areas.

The Cabinet Office is inviting comments on the Bill and, in particular, the ways in which persons who feel their rights have been infringed can potentially seek redress. For more information or to submit your feedback, please email Aubrey.Bodden@gov.ky or call 244 3607.