Need for better education for children with disabilities

Attorney-at-law and disabilities advocate Janeil Odle is urging a more inclusive education system across Barbados and the wider Caribbean to better serve persons with disabilities.

Odle, who is also one of the partners behind the upcoming second Caribbean Disability Conference, said the current system leaves too many children and young people without the opportunities they need to succeed. The conference, set for October 17–22, 2025, at the Wyndham Grand Hotel, will be held under the theme Breaking Barriers: Advancing Inclusive Education for All Abilities.

She told Barbados TODAY that inclusive education remains one of the most pressing challenges for persons with disabilities. 

“We’re looking at inclusive education because a lot of our educational systems are not prepared for persons with varying disabilities,” she said. “What many people don’t know is that most of our special schools in Barbados and across the Caribbean only go up to primary level. That means many students are graduating without a secondary education or any qualifications.”

Odle stressed that this lack of access has long-term consequences, shutting out young people from jobs, training, and independence. 

“What this conference seeks to do is to talk about how we can make education inclusive for all abilities. We start from early childhood and primary inclusion, and we go straight to tertiary levels and even technical and vocational training,” she explained. “Not everybody is going to be able to take in the academic education as others would, and technical and vocational training is the area that a lot of persons with disabilities have to go in order to make a living.”

The conference will bring together policymakers, educators, advocates, and persons with disabilities to share ideas and craft practical solutions. 

“We want everyone at the table to discuss best practices and how best to include persons with disabilities,” Odle said.

One area she identified as critical is teacher training. Too often, she said, children who struggle in class are simply written off. 

“There are children in the education system who may not be formally diagnosed with a disability or disorder, and teachers are obviously frustrated. They don’t know what to do, so they just write off your children as being hardears,” she said. “We want mandatory teacher training at every school so that every single child can be educated in the way that they need.”

Odle also championed greater use of Individual Educational Plans (IEPs), which allow schools to work with specialists such as speech and occupational therapists. 

“That way, children would get the assistance and help they need in the classroom, and of course, it involves working closely with parents too,” Odle explained. 

shamarblunt@barbadostoday.bb