Dr. Glenville Liburd, Caribbean CBR

Dr. Glenville Liburd, MBBS DA (UWI); FFARCS(Ire); FRCA(UK) has served as the Chair of the Caribbean Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Network’s Steering Committee from April 2014. He is increasingly being recognized throughout the Caribbean as a critical resource on disability issues and has worked consistently in the assessment and support of persons with disabilities, serving from June 1996 as a Medical Consultant and Assessor for Disability Benefit Claims with St Kitts-Nevis’ Social Security Scheme. Dr. Liburd also serves as a member of the CARICOM Advisory Committee for Selection and Supervision of CARICOM Special Rapporteur on Disability.

On-going since 2010, through a collaboration with Enablement, the University of Applied Sciences Leiden Holland and the Nevis Island Administration, he supervises a three-month student internship program in International Health and Development to conduct research into various aspects of disability and related health issues. Among others, these internships produced the following reports: Needs Assessment of Persons with Disabilities in Nevis (2011) and Looking at Raising A Child with Disability in St Kitts and Nevis (2017).

As Chair of the Caribbean CBR Steering Committee, Dr. Liburd and disability advocates in the Caribbean meet at least once per week to discuss strategies and learn from each other as they attempt to improve the lives of people with disabilities on their individual islands.

Admittedly, there is a lot to be done in the Caribbean region for people with disabilities. Accessibility, inclusion, equality, employment, community awareness, the provision of social services, plus poverty-reduction are key issues they discuss with fervor and pursue tirelessly via their various organizations, albeit with limited resources. Influencing policy and forging beneficial partnerships with the private sector and Caribbean governments continue to be a challenge for most, but they remain optimistic that the inclusion of persons with disabilities into mainstream social life throughout the Caribbean will be achieved.

Although Dr. Liburd devotes a significant amount of his time to disability awareness, he also runs his private medical practice, Eureka Health Services, on his home island of Nevis. In addition, he provides Anaesthesia Consultancy to Hospitals in Nevis, Anguilla, Dominica and St. Lucia plus Community Advocacy for multiple health causes including Renal, Mental Health and Cancer.

Every 3rd Friday of the month, between 7:00 am and 8:00 am EST, Dr. Liburd hosts a radio program where disability issues are discussed. Listen live at www.2020visionradio.com and phone in to lend your voice to the discussions.

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