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OPPOSITION Senator Dr Floyd Morris broke out in song on Monday as he expressed joy that the Disabilities Act, which he had championed for more than two decades, is finally now in effect."I feel like jumping, whoo whoo. I feel like shouting now, whoo whoo. I feel like moving, whoo who. La la la la la. La la la la la," Morris sang.The rendition would have made the original singer, veteran reggae artiste Marcia Griffiths, proud."That's me. I have been dancing and singing to Marcia Griffiths from morning because it is a watershed moment in the history of Jamaica and where persons with disabilities are concerned. This is a piece of legislation that I started when I was minister of state in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security in 2003 and [I] worked diligently on it - because nothing comes easy for persons with disabilities in this country," Morris, who is blind, told the Jamaica Observer."I am happy to be alive to see it implemented in 2022, notwithstanding that it has taken some time, but I am sticking to the positives today," he added.The Disabilities Act 2014 came into full effect on Monday. It was passed in Parliament in October 2014 and the regulations were later affirmed in both Houses of Parliament in October 2021.The Act was developed to "promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment by persons with disabilities of privileges, interests, benefits and treatment on equal basis with others, and to establish the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities; and for connected matters".Its main objectives include recognising and accepting the principle that persons with disabilities have the same fundamental rights as any other person; promoting individual dignity, freedom of choice and independence of persons with disabilities; and preventing or prohibiting discrimination against persons with disabilities.Morris lauded Minister of Labour and Social Security Karl Samuda for keeping his promise to bring the Act into effect."I want to commend Mr Karl Samuda from the bottom of my heart, because when Karl became minister in 2020 he said to me, 'Floyd, if there is one thing that I commit to you that I am going to do before I leave there [it] is to make sure that the Disabilities Act is brought into effect.' And I said to him, 'Minister, I am prepared to work with you on it.' And he has worked and set the effect date and today we are where we are with a brand new legislation in place to protect the rights of persons with disabilities in our country," Morris said.Salvation Army School for the Blind Principal Iyeke Erharuyi was equally pleased."It is the right way to go. We thank those persons who initiated this years ago, like Senator Morris. We are very glad it has come through. We celebrate this. If you could see me through my phone I am in my blue jacket and blue shirt," Erharuyi said , referencing his observance of a request for Jamaicans to wear something blue to celebrate the activation of the Act.Meanwhile, the Digicel Foundation, which helps to increase access and opportunities for people with special needs, welcomed the Act.In a press release the CEO of the foundation, Charmaine Daniels stressed that the regulations which have come into effect are a culmination of the love, passion, and dedication of special needs advocates across industries.According to Daniels, while there has been a lot of progress for the inclusion of those with disabilities, there is more work to be done."There are a lot of injustices which go unspoken of outside of the special needs community - schools which deny admission to students in wheelchairs on the basis that they don't have ramps to the relevant buildings; employers who deny qualified, degree-holding persons interviews when they list that they have a disability; and public transportation providers who charge higher fares to those with disabilities. This legislation will address those issues and give persons with special needs legal recourse when they identify an injustice," Daniels said.The Digicel Foundation has constructed 10 special needs centres and eight schools with the Ministry of Education and Youth's Special Needs Unit.Additionally, the foundation has provided SIM-enabled tablets with data plans and built more than 40 ramps in traditional public schools to make education more accessible for students with disabilities.