THERE WAS STILL a lot more to be done to help people with disabilities.

Head of the Barbados National Organisation of the Disabled (BARNOD), Patrick Forde, made this assessment on Tuesday, after Monday's Financial Statement and Budgetary Proposals 2008.

Under the budget, minimum disabled people dependent on welfare will see an increase from $29 to $36 per week, while severely disabled will get $116 per week, up from $96.

"BARNOD welcomes these increases but recognises that there is a lot more that has to be done for people with disabilities," Forde said.

The disabled, he pointed out, wanted greater access to jobs, better tools and equipment to work with and easier access to entrances and washrooms.

Those working "must have the right software and equipment" necessary for them to function at an optimum level and he called on the public to stop using parking spaces marked for the disabled.

"They need to have more respect for our parking spaces," he said. "We also need more buses specially equipped to handle wheelchairs," he added.

He called for more education of Barbadians about disabilities, saying that they built homes without making any provision for growing old, being disabled themselves or catering to persons in wheelchairs. (TY)