When you think of a disability, what do you tend to think? Blindness or vision impairment, deafness and immobile body parts? Oftentimes when we think of a disability we think of a physical disability. However, there are many types of disabilities that are not physical, such as mental health conditions, health conditions or an intellectual disability. In today’s column, we focus on mental health.

To read more visit: https://newsday.co.tt/2023/03/13/mental-health-as-a-disability/

In a bid to spread the awareness and celebration of Zero Discrimination Day, the Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC/Commission) is advocating for the day to be a staple observation in the country and across the region. The institution is leading the charge and championing the cause, and is calling on the nation as a whole to support that mandate.

The Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC) joins all other United Nations members to observe Zero Discrimination Day on March 1. UNAIDS (the United Nations agency for treating with issues relating to HIV and AIDS) first observed Zero Discrimination Day in 2014 and initially focused on combating discrimination and stigma against people living with HIV and AIDS, but in recent time it has been expanded to include wider issues of inequality.

To read more visit:  https://newsday.co.tt/2023/02/27/partners-in-equality/

Venue-packed events, cultural competitions and revelry in the streets all culminate today and tomorrow as Trinidadians and foreigners alike celebrate the height of an action-packed Carnival season.

In the upcoming week, as the season fades away and clears the way for us to reflect on Carnival, we ask partygoers, revellers and spectators to think about the privilege of these experiences. We are referencing and suggesting here inclusion for people with physical disabilities; specifically, facilities or access for people who wish to partake in the jubilations.

To read more visit:  https://newsday.co.tt/access-to-and-inclusion-in-carnival-activities/

The Equal Opportunity Commission advises that its offices located at 55-57 Manic Street, Chaguanas will be closed to the general public from 12:00pm today and normal business hours will resume on Wednesday 22nd February, 2023.

We are deep in the Carnival season. We know it as the greatest show on earth or the mother of all carnivals! We have been witnessing the spectacular shows, energetic fetes and in one week, the parade of the bands. What we are also witnessing is the unifying power of Carnival in our nation.

To read more visit:  https://newsday.co.tt/2023/02/13/the-unifying-power-of-carnival/

As the leading state advocate on discrimination, the Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC/commission) conducts inclusivity training sessions with small, medium and large organisations or businesses in the private and public sectors. The EOC once again welcomes all public and private sector organisations/businesses to request one of our 2023 inclusivity training sessions.

To read more visit: https://newsday.co.tt/2023/01/16/free-eoc-inclusivity-training/

The Equal Opportunity Commission’s (EOC) nationwide caravan found early success with its first stop in Tobago. Scores of Tobagonians visited the EOC’s blue tent outside of Roxborough Administrative Complex on Thursday 17th November and Port Mall in Scarborough on Friday 18th November.

It is the time of year when we decide on our new year resolutions and engage our best efforts to keep them. Some of these resolutions include kicking an old and damaging habit, working towards a better career, or small and simple changes that will have a significant impact. We want to add a resolution for all of TT to consider.

In this new year, let us work towards tolerance and, further, respect and dignity for all. Perhaps it is an ideal that some think is unattainable but as a nation we are further along than we give ourselves credit for and, therefore, we are closer to this ideal than further away from it.

To read more visit:  https://newsday.co.tt/2023/01/02/towards-hope-and-growth-in-2023/

On October 17, we examined some of the vital provisions in the Equal Opportunity Act Chap 22:03 that govern how the commission handles complaints. Recall that according to section 33, the commission may issue a notice in writing requiring any person to furnish the information described in the notice and specify the time within which the required information is to be furnished. A question that arises frequently is:

Does the other party to the complaint have a right to be given a copy of the documents that the commission has received?

To read more visit:  https://newsday.co.tt/2022/12/19/vital-complaint-provisions-in-the-act/

The United Nations observed World Human Rights Day on Saturday 10^th December. This date commemorates the day the General Assembly adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948.

The UDHR was the precursor to many United Nations conventions on specific areas of human rights. In our column published on October 24, we noted that TT has signed and ratified six of these conventions, three of which are the conventions on the rights of people with disabilities, on eliminating all forms of racial discrimination, and on eliminating discrimination against women.

These three are of relevance to the work of the Equal Opportunity Commission as we are empowered by legislation to receive, investigate and, as far as possible, conciliate complaints by people who have suffered discrimination on the ground of their race, their ethnicity, their sex or their disability, as well as on three other grounds (their religion, their marital status and their origin).

To read more visit:  https://newsday.co.tt/2022/12/12/protecting-our-human-rights

EOC TV show spotlight, 'Different in Ability, Not Capability’ One of the biggest barriers for people with disability is how society disables them. Stereotyping, stigma, and discrimination are challenges people with disability face every day and much of the disabled community face exclusion from various parts of society.

Have you ever broken a leg? How did you cope? Who did you need? What did you do? Imagine life without a leg. The inconvenience of a broken leg for a few months, which some could hardly bare, is the life that some people with disabilities (PWDs) endure for the rest of their lives. In many ways our inability to facilitate PWDs is the main barrier to their still living full and productive lives. This is reflected in a liberty that most of us may take for granted or may not even consider to be a right or freedom: the ability to exercise choice.

To read more visit:  https://newsday.co.tt/2022/12/05/are-we-a-disabled-society/

Some of the most problematic and disabling agents for persons with disabilities (PWDs) are the barriers in their environments. This is the message from the Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC/Commission) ahead of International Day for Persons with Disabilities (IDPWD), which is observed annually on December 3rd by United Nations members.

The Equal Opportunity Commission joins United Nations (UN) members to commemorate World AIDS Day 2022. Every year on December 1, the world celebrates the extraordinary progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS and shows support to the millions of persons living with HIV or AIDS globally. This year, the theme is “Equalize,” emphasising the elimination of the inequalities that have slowed the fight against the disease. Inequalities, such as gender inequality, limit women’s access to HIV care and other forms of sexual and reproductive health care.

To read more visit:  https://newsday.co.tt/2022/11/28/in-recognition-of-world-aids-day/