Caribbean Disability Conference

CARIBBEAN DISABILITY NETWORK (CDN) ANNOUNCES SECOND CARIBBEAN DISABILITY CONFERENCE, “Breaking Barriers: Advancing Inclusive Education for All Abilities”

Second Annual Gathering in Bridgetown, Barbados October 17 to 22, 2025 to Focus on Educational Equity

Bridgetown, Barbados/August 27, 2025/CMM Inc. — The Caribbean Disability Network (CDN), in collaboration with the Government of Barbados through the Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, and the Barbados Council for the Disabled, proudly announce the upcoming 2025 Caribbean Global Disability Conference, scheduled to take place from October 17 to 22, 2025, in Bridgetown, Barbados. Building on the momentum of the inaugural 2024 conference in Grenada, this year’s gathering will focus on the critical theme “Breaking Barriers: Advancing Inclusive Education for All Abilities.”

The conference will bring together a distinguished and diverse group of stakeholders, including government officials, educators, researchers, disability advocates, development agencies, persons with disabilities, and civil society leaders from across the Caribbean and diaspora. Through high-level plenaries, interactive workshops, poster presentations, and strategic planning sessions, participants will collaborate to craft a unified Regional Declaration on Inclusive Education, which will serve as a guiding framework for future policy and institutional practice across the region.

The inaugural 2024 conference, held in St. George, Grenada, under the theme “Community Access, Empowerment, and Inclusion,” successfully brought together diverse voices to explore pressing disability inclusion issues across the Caribbean. That foundational event addressed advocacy and awareness, education, legislation, and barriers to inclusion, while engaging with a global UNICEF study on supportive program designs for youth with disabilities. A comprehensive white paper offering valuable insights for advancing the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals developed during that conference is to be presented to Caricom in September.

The 2025 conference will deepen this work by specifically targeting inclusive education, a cornerstone for breaking the cycle of exclusion that affects the Caribbean’s disability community. With 15% of the global population, or approximately 1 billion people, living with disabilities and often facing inadequate access to healthcare, rehabilitation, and specialized support services, the need for inclusive educational frameworks has never been more urgent in the Caribbean context.

“Following the success of our inaugural conference, we are thrilled to focus specifically on inclusive education as the foundation for true community inclusion,” states Andrew Sharpe, President & Founder, CDN and Chairman of Boston, Massachusetts based, Authentic Caribbean Foundation Inc. “This year’s conference will serve as a platform to inspire and elevate the Caribbean community towards achieving comprehensive educational equity for all abilities.”

The 2025 conference objectives include:

• Promoting best practices and frameworks for inclusive education across the Caribbean
• Highlighting the voices and lived experiences of persons with disabilities and their families
• Encouraging inter-sectoral collaboration to build inclusive learning environments
• Developing a regional action plan and declaration to guide future initiatives
• Showcasing innovative models through poster presentations on best practices in inclusive education

The six-day program will address five critical sub-themes: Policy, Legislation, and Regional Frameworks for Inclusive Education; Inclusive Education Across the Lifespan; Curriculum, Teacher Training, and Capacity Building; Assistive Technology and Innovative Learning Supports; and Intersectionality and Social Inclusion.

Facilitators drawn from the various representative groups, will lead discussions throughout the conference.

The conference recognizes that in the Caribbean context, where island nations face challenges in resource allocation and service delivery, innovative approaches to inclusive education become even more critical. By addressing intersectionality, including how disability intersects with gender, poverty, and employment opportunities, the conference will tackle the complex realities facing persons with disabilities in the region.

Expected outcomes include the Regional Declaration on Inclusive Education, strengthened policy and practice networks, comprehensive knowledge products and session reports, and enhanced regional collaboration for inclusive education advancement.

About the Caribbean Disability Network (CDN):

The Caribbean Disability Network (CDN) is a regional alliance committed to advancing the rights, dignity, and inclusion of persons with disabilities across the Caribbean. CDN works to dismantle systemic barriers, expand access to disability data, support inclusive policy development, and promote employment opportunities and skills training for persons with disabilities by connecting governments, civil society, academia, the private sector, and grassroots advocates. Through public education, regional forums, and capacity-building efforts, CDN aims to foster a more equitable and stigma-free Caribbean where all individuals can participate fully in society.

For more information and to register for the conference, visit www.caribbeandisabilityconference.org, call 857-271-6006, or email caribbeandisabilitynetwork@gmail.com.