The Office of the Prime Minister made amendments to the proposed National Identification and Registration Act (NIRA) based on our expressed concerns about its threats to persons with disabilities (PWDs). The NIRA was designed “for the promotion, establishment and regulation of a national identification system for the enrolment and registration of all citizens and individuals who are ordinary resident in Jamaica”.
The registration phase of the National Identification System is predicated on the provision of biometric data. This includes: signatures, finger/palm/toe print, iris/retina scans, eye colour and other such biological attributes of a person. "Some Jamaicans experience a range of impairments, be it physical, mental, or intellectual. There may be instances where persons have no hands or feet as well as significant visual challenges, therefore providing no toe or fingerprints as well as iris scans for data. In other cases, persons may have provided the data but are unable to facilitate scans because they can't position their bodies or are unable to follow instructions due to an intellectual impairment," said Richardson.
All attempts should be made to ensure that PWDs are not further disenfranchised by government policies, which can prevent them from getting equal access to the very things which are considered basic entitlements of all Jamaicans.
