Opposition Leader, Honourable Marlon A. Penn at the plenary session of the 44th Annual Conference of the Caribbean, Americas and the Atlantic Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) in Port of Spain Trinidad. Photo: Provided

The Vanguard programme has since been discontinued in favour of a more home-based initiative according to now Minister for Education, Dr Natalio D. Wheatley (R7), however, in his announcement at a past sitting of the HoA, the Minister had not mention whether there was NDP support with the new initiative. Photo: GIS/File

Hon Penn was at the time addressing the plenary session of the 44th Annual Conference of the Caribbean, Americas and the Atlantic Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) in Port of Spain Trinidad, July 12 to 19, 2019.  

According to a release on the visit, Hon Penn while presenting on the topic "Human Rights: Are our Parliaments fully accessible to persons with disabilities?" said the NPD has been working 'inside and outside of the office' to ensure that laws are continuously improved to protect the rights differently-abled citizens.

NDP assists – Hon Penn

Even as the NDP has been accused of leaving the education sector in shambles after demitting office in 2019, Home Penn told the conference that his party has been assisting the government to empower disabled citizens via access to education.

“We have done so in education, health and other areas to empower these persons with knowledge and therefore ensure that they are included in the development of the Territory,” the Opposition leader told those gathered at the CPA conference.

Penn said that the NDP’s view on the inclusion of differently-abled persons in education is that it is a right and not a privilege for a select few, "He said assistance has been granted in the form of three scholarships on a yearly basis for students with Special needs to attend the Vanguard School in Florida, where apart from academic studies; they are also taught how to become independent," the release notes. 

The Vanguard programme has since been discontinued in favour of a more home-based initiative according to now Minister for Education, Dr Natalio D. Wheatley (R7), however, in his announcement at a past sitting of the HoA, the Minister did not say whether there was NDP support with the new initiative.   

Healthcare 

The Opposition Leader also boasted that while in office, VI residents including the disabled were provided access to affordable health care, by the introduction of the National Health Insurance (NHI) to provide comprehensive coverage for the entire population.

However, according to Junior Minister for Tourism Hon Shereen D. Flax-Charles (AL) at the 2019 edition of the Annual Caribbean Insurers Limited (CIL) Health and Wellness Expo, a government review of NHI has since been commissioned with the aim of improving its reach, amidst cries that its ease of access has not been forthcoming since its introduction by the NDP administration.

Counter to Hon Penn's claims, Minister Flax-Charles noted that part of the review includes making sure that affordable healthcare can be accessible to all citizens of the Territory.