NASSAU, Bahamas -- Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour and Social Development the Hon Loretta Butler-Turner thanked the Pilot Club Nassau for undertaking the construction of a swimming pool for persons with disabilities.

At the groundbreaking ceremony on Dolphin Drive on Friday, May 14, Mrs Butler-Turner said, “My Ministry is particularly pleased that the Pilot Club of Nassau chose to pioneer this project, leading us into what we hope to be the evolution of greater accessibility for persons with disabilities throughout the length and breadth of The Bahamas.”

She explained that the Pilot Club Nassau has sought to establish a working relationship with the Disabilities Affairs Division in developing this project, which when completed will be the only such facility for persons with disabilities in The Bahamas.

“The Government needs and encourages viable partnerships to provide persons with disabilities with comprehensive services.

“We recognize that persons with disabilities deserve to be included in the same activities and programs as their able-bodied counterparts,” Mrs Butler-Turner said.  Real inclusion only comes when communities, programs and individuals look beyond a person’s disabilities and see their right to belong.”

A great deal of emphasis has been placed on the inclusion of children with disabilities in school activities, but less has been placed on their inclusion in community activities, she added.

Elizabeth Burrows, president, Pilot Club of Nassau, said in 1990, the Club undertook to construct a swimming pool for persons with disabilities.

“To facilitate this project, the Club was granted a lease to 0.64 acres of land on Dolphin Drive, lot #35, by the Department of Lands and Surveys.”

Fundraising efforts, she explained since that time, primarily the annual Ebony Fashion Show and the Thanks for the Memories Ball have been directed towards this project.

The Club has also sought to establish a tripartite relationship with government and the business sector, for the construction and operation of the pool.

But she said nothing could have been done without the help of their corporate sponsors, which include the Bahamas Telecommunications Corporation, Bahamas First Holdings, Gunite Pools, BSI Overseas, Bill Simmons Construction, Quality Convenience and Sweet Occasions.