A situational analysis of persons with disabilities in jamaica and trinidad and tobago: Education and employment policy imperatives

Abstract

Jamaica and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago are independent English Speaking Caribbean countries, known as birthplaces for reggae and calypso music, the world's fastest man Usain Bolt, and the Steel Pan. Both are accorded the status of countries of high human development in terms of life expectancy, educational attainment and income by the United Nations Development Program's Human Development Report (2014). The post-independence development strides of both countries however have not equitably improved the socio-economic conditions of persons with disabilities compared to their counterparts without disabilities. Quantitative and qualitative research methods are employed using primary and secondary data analyses to unearth the distinct socio-economic vulnerabilities faced by working-age persons with disability for whom the right to development remains marginally realized. The main barriers that bolster exclusion and cyclical poverty traps for persons with disabilities are distilled through an examination of the socio-cultural environment, education and training, and employment. Recommendations are forwarded to inform practical legislative, policy and program development in the twenty-first century for the Caribbean. The recommendations provide a critical framework to advance the enforcement of the national disability policies in existence and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.