Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Darrell Allahar, says the government remains committed to ensuring no citizen is left behind.
He was speaking at the Opening Ceremony of the Regional Workshop titled “Enabling Access: Unlocking the Potential of the Marrakesh Treaty” on Tuesday.
The Marrakesh Treaty aims to facilitate access to published works for persons who are blind, visually impaired, and otherwise print-disabled.
On Day 1 of the workshop, Minister Allahar reminded that access to information is crucial and the foundation of democracy.
“Today, ladies and gentlemen, we want to affirm by this workshop the principles that our nation holds very dear to all of us, which is the right of every person, regardless of disability, to read, to learn, to participate, and to thrive.”
Minister Allahar noted that the government is committed to ensuring no citizen is left behind – a duty they have upheld for many years.
“When we acceded to the Marrakesh Treaty and later amended our Copyright Act, as Beverly said, in 2020. And Regan as well, you mentioned it. It was a process that started actually in, you said 2015, it’s actually 2014, with a Cabinet decision under the first Kamla Persad-Bissessar government. So it’s a process that we had started way back then, and we’re very proud to see that it’s being continued to fruition.”
Minister Allahar commended NALIS for extending their capacity to meet the needs of those who are blind, visually impaired, or print-disabled.
“NALIS has converted key textbooks and learning materials into accessible formats for visually impaired students, enabling them to participate fully in the classroom, follow the same curriculum, and compete on an equal footing with their peers.”
Executive Director of NALIS Beverly Ann Williams said that for NALIS, accessibility is not an aspiration but rather a commitment.
“Our teams have converted numerous, numerous texts for students across the country, helping to ensure no learner is left behind. We are collaborating closely with the Ministry of Education to support the creation and distribution of accessible textbooks, a critical step in building an inclusive education system.”
And the Head of the Accessible Books Consortium at the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO), Monica Halil, spoke of the negative impacts that lack of accessibility can have.
“It means they cannot learn or attend school on an equal footing with their sighted peers, and that their future then becomes exceedingly precarious.”