President Herminie Meets Young Disability Advocate Jason Winslow Ahead of Global Accessibility Day
VICTORIA, Seychelles — President Patrick Herminie marked the approach of Global Accessibility Awareness Day with a surprise visit to Jason Winslow, a young boy living with disability who had long wished to meet the Seychelles Head of State, symbolising the administration’s commitment to making Seychelles the most accessible country in the region.
The encounter took place at the Office of the First Lady at Bel Eau, beginning with the symbolic unveiling of fully upgraded premises redesigned to improve accessibility for persons living with disabilities. Among the centrepieces is a new wheelchair-accessible ramp designed pro bono by Jason’s father, a civil engineer.
Jason personally guided President Herminie through the accessible flooring, adapted toilet facilities, and renovated meeting room. The presidential encounter carried significant personal weight for Jason, who once attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony only to find there was no accessible ramp at the venue, forcing him to leave without witnessing the event.
The Winslow family has extended their commitment across several other public spaces, including a new ramp at Stad Linite expected to be completed for the 2027 Indian Ocean Island Games. Their stated objective, working through Christine Winslow’s Ramp Up Rise Up NGO and Sey Mobility transportation service, is to make Seychelles the most accessible country in the region.
The programme also included the formal introduction of two employees engaged under the Build Your Dream programme providing structured employment opportunities for persons with special needs, and the opening of a new playground sponsored by Green Island Construction Company.
Global Accessibility Awareness Day is observed globally on Thursday, May 21.
