CXC advocates greater access for visually impaired learners

Registrar and CEO of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC®), Dr Wayne Wesley, has made an impassioned plea for educational publishers to produce books and learning resources in accessible formats, such as braille, large print, and digital formats, in keeping with the provisions of the Marrakesh Treaty.

The Marrakesh Treaty is an international agreement adopted in 2013 by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), aimed at making published works more accessible to people who are blind, visually impaired, or print disabled.

The CXC Registrar and CEO told Intellectual Property experts, visually impaired persons and heads of libraries at a WIPO workshop in Port of Spain on November 26 that the regional examinations body will make explicit in all contractual arrangements with publishers that CXC learning resources be produced in accessible, digital formats that are compatible with assistive technologies, including braille and large print.

“CXC will make it a requirement for all authors to indicate their support for the provision of the Marrakesh Treaty,” said Dr Wesley. “Priority and preference will be given to authors who demonstrate this support when selecting prescribed or recommended texts for our syllabuses,” he added.

Dr Wesley pointed out that there is a growing need for accessibility by exam candidates across the region, noting that Special Arrangement Assessment (SAA) requests were accommodated for a total of 3 444 candidates sitting the CAPE, CSEC, and CCSLC exams in the January and May – June 2025 sessions, up from 3 271 in 2024.

“Recent studies show that among Caribbean children aged 5 to 16, more than 0.1 per cent are blind, and up to 0.3 per cent have low vision. In Barbados, 2.4 per cent of children under 18 have visual impairment, while in Trinidad and Tobago, 64 per cent of high school students have refractive errors that may require visual aids,” shared Dr Wesley.

“Hearing impairment is also present, with a Jamaican study showing a 4.9 per cent prevalence among young students. Each statistic represents a child whose educational journey depends on our commitment to accessibility. We cannot afford to let them down!” declared the CXC registrar and CEO.

He said CXC will actively advocate through ministries of education across the Caribbean for the adoption of the Marrakesh Treaty, encouraging regional governments to sign and implement the Treaty.

CXC is also committing to conducting training and sensitisation sessions for secondary school educators, equipping them with the knowledge and tools to support accessible learning and to advocate for the needs of visually impaired and print-disabled students.

“At CXC, we will continue to adopt new approaches and technologies to enhance accessibility to our examinations, ensuring that all candidates — regardless of ability — can participate fully and fairly,” he promised.

“Accessible books and exam materials are not just a legal or ethical requirement — they are a moral imperative — unlocking the full potential of the [Marrakesh] Treaty, will empower visually impaired persons and all learners to read, learn, and thrive,” he concluded.

(CXC)