The Caribbean:
Situational Analysis for Children with Disabilities with a Cradle-to-Career lens

Donor: UNICEF
Timeframe: July 2026 – January 2026

The Caribbean Regional SitAn on Children with Disabilities is a UNICEF‑led initiative designed to strengthen evidence, policy coherence, and practical action for disability inclusion across twelve Caribbean countries (Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Dominica, Antigua & Barbuda, Belize, Jamaica, Suriname, Guyana). The study adopts a Cradle‑to‑Career systems lens, examining the rights, needs, and lived experiences of children with disabilities from early childhood through transition to adulthood. It also assesses the enabling environment, service availability, quality, and the role of families, particularly women and girls who often bear disproportionate caregiving responsibilities.

IDP is proud to support a regional effort to strengthen disability inclusion across the Caribbean by generating evidence and practical recommendations on the lives of children with disabilities. The SitAn will identify key barriers in education, health, and social protection, highlight opportunities for inclusion, and elevate the voices of children, caregivers, Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), parent groups, and service providers. Its findings will guide national and regional strategies, reinforce disability‑sensitive policies, and help governments, Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), UNICEF, and partners build more inclusive, coordinated systems that support children with disabilities from early childhood through adulthood.

Project Highlights

  • Regional Evidence & Systems Analysis: A 12‑country desk review, country profiles, deep‑dive consultations, and a cradle‑to‑career assessment of service pathways, referral gaps, and the legal and policy environment.
  • Equity, Household & Resilience Lens: Examination of caregiving burdens, gendered impacts, social participation, and how climate hazards and economic shocks affect children with disabilities and their families.
  • Actionable, Scalable Solutions: Identification of regional cooperation opportunities, promising practices, and prioritized recommendations to strengthen integrated support systems and expand inclusive education, health, and social protection.