On the morning of Tuesday 16th June 2024, the Speaker of the National Assembly Hon. Roger Mancienne participated in the first ‘Ramp up, Rise up’ challenge undertaken by Parliament. Organizing the challenge was the founder of ‘Ramp Up, Rise Up’ Mrs. Christine Winslow, accompanied by her son Jason Winslow, and a representative of the Disabled Division of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Family. Mrs. Winslow began this national call to action to raise awareness of the lack of accessibility for physically disabled individuals, preventing them access to areas and services that are required to be equally accessible, such as the parliamentary precinct.
The challenge began as soon as Hon. Mancienne arrived, where he was tasked with getting into the wheelchair from his vehicle. He was then taken around the National Assembly precinct, including the Speaker’s Office and the designated disabled bathrooms, to evaluate accessibility of those areas. The Speaker then made the official procession into Chamber, remaining in the wheelchair, to commence the Sitting of the House.
Speaking about the experience prior to the National Assembly deliberation, the Speaker stated that participating in the challenge was necessary to increase awareness of these daily issues faced by many Seychellois people. He urged the Members of the National Assembly and the general public to participate and contribute to the improvement of current rights for people with disabilities.
Commenting on the experience, Mrs. Winslow noted that although change needed to be made within the parliamentary precinct, this progress demonstrated a willingness to become more inclusive and improve the standards of equal access. Mrs. Winslow also stated that her disabled son Jason, who was diagnosed at a young age with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, deserves the same rights as any able-bodied person. Hon. Naddy Zialor remarked that this challenge brought awareness to a struggle he experiences daily, however he called on the exceptionally resilient and inspirational disabled community to continue making their voices heard, so that real change to accessibility and equal rights can be enacted on a national level.
Editor’s Note: ‘Ramp Up, Rise Up’ is a campaign launched in 2023, with the aim of raising awareness on accessibility to “wheelchair bound persons”, who’s movements and actions are restricted due to the unavailability of ramps and accessibly infrastructure. Focus is also given to breaking the societal stigma against differently abled individuals and raising the profile of the unique challenges imposed on them.
