Campaigner Willard Fox yesterday called for disabled people to apply for a new post designed to boost their profile.

The Department of Community Affairs is advertising for a Coordinator for Disabled Persons to oversee vocational counselling and placement.

The lucky applicant, who will get a $60,000-plus salary, will also be asked to identify issues affecting the disabled.

Mr. Fox, the chairman of the Bermuda Physically Handicapped Association, said disabled people were more sensitive to what needs to be done than others.

But he said he was firmly against positive discrimination.

He said: "I would prefer the Government got statistics on how many handicapped people there are in Bermuda, what their ages are and what disabilities they have to see if we can get them employed.

"There are no opportunities to live alone, thank God for Summerhaven which provides semi-independent living.

"The handicapped are so protected. I have been disabled for 54 years and had people making decisions for me but they are not always the right ones.

"We want the chance to fall in love, get married, get divorced.'' But he said disabled people did need help in getting opportunities so they could compete in the job market.

He said: "There's no job opportunities, no chance to train or to do anything.'' He said US-style quotas were a waste of time. "Employers hire just to say they are hiring but the person has got to be productive.

"In the US they hire because it says so, so disabled people end up in jobs paying a $1 or $1.50 an hour.

"We believe a person should be qualified to do a job. Don't give it to me because I am a handicapped person and I need to be occupied.'' And he said travelling difficulties and lack of disabled access at the workplace made applying for jobs futile in some cases.

He said: "If the job is on the third floor and there is no elevator then what's the point applying? "Or if you can't get to work then what's the point in applying?'' Mr. Fox said cabs with special ramps were charging huge fees for journeys which cost a fraction of the price for able-bodied passengers in standard taxis.

He said: "A trip from Hamilton to Southampton can cost $80.'' And he said the Department of Transport needed to do far more to make things easier to use the public transport system.

He said American-designed buses were looked at but to allow their ramps to be extended properly the bus would end up in the middle of the road.

"Bermuda's roads are too narrow. They need to find something else,'' said Mr.

Fox.

Community Affairs Director Grace Rawlings said the new Coordinator of Disabled Persons would be looking at disabled access as one of their priorities.

She said: "The department used to look at this and we will be reestablishing this.''