Latin America and the Caribbean

Panama City, Panama. August 10, 2023.-In Latin America and the Caribbean, it is estimated that 19.1 million children have some type of disability 1 . Of these, 7 out of 10 boys, girls and adolescents of school age do not attend school 2 . Discrimination, the absence of adequate policies and legislation, and exclusion are some of the factors that…

UNICEF Panama works to support children’s and adolescents’ right to quality education and to develop to their full potential. Despite the recent progress in access to education, children and adolescents still face challenges regarding the quality of education and at the same time, some of them -especially the most vulnerable and impoverished-…, What are we doing?, We work with local partners and support the government to ensure that children and adolescents in Panama achieve their full potential. Our lines of work include the following: Providing technical assistance and supporting capacity building to strengthen early childhood education and increase the quality and coverage of preschool and primary…, All our efforts seek to provide more children and adolescents in vulnerable situations with opportunities to learn, develop skills and participate as active citizens, contributing to Panama’s sustainable development., Learn about our resources

Our challenges, Between 2007 and 2020, 27.3 million children in the region accessed early childhood education services. Nonetheless, 5% of the population under 5 years old still lacks access to pre-primary education. Estimates for the region show that between 2015 and 2019, the percentage of out-of-school children in primary education fell from 3.2% to 2.9% and…, What do we do?,   Our work focuses on the following: Helping strengthen national education management information systems (EMIS) to identify out-of-school children and adolescents and those most at risk of dropping out and advising on the formulation and implementation of policies and strategies for these groups. Promoting the allocation of sufficient and timely…, Learn more about our work to promote access to education, 1 UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean, United Nations Children's Fund and Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Education in Latin America and the Caribbean at a crossroads: regional monitoring report SDG4 - Education 2030 , OREALC-UNESCO Santiago, UNICEF, ECLAC, 2022.

Check out our materials on Accessible Digital Textbooks, Lessons Learnt Synthesis of the recommendations on ADT from different experts in disability and inclusive education. Guía para EPUB accesibles Resources and tools to learn how to publish accessible EPUBs. ePub herramientas y lectores de autoría Links to ePub authoring tools and readers. Creación del EPUB y lector “Learn My Way” Step-by-step guide…

The Ministry of Education and Science, with the technical and financial support of UNICEF and its partners, is advancing an innovative digital solution – called Accessible Digital Text for students with and without disabilities – created to benefit all children with accessible educational content in alternative formats. This digital solution,…, “If educational content is accessible in alternative formats, removing barriers to education, all children and adolescents will have the same learning opportunities.”, Testeo de campo, prototipo fase 1 UNICEF We are convinced that in order to strengthen the UDL approach and the availability of accessible textbooks in the education system, it is essential to develop the capacities of all the actors that are part of this effort: Programmers or professionals from the Ministry of Education Publishing houses…

We have understood that technology opens up countless new possibilities for education, to: respond to the diversity of learning styles, encourage students to actively participate and be motivated towards learning and, in particular, remove barriers to access to a quality inclusive education, particularly for children with disabilities and those…, UNICEF and the Ministry of Education want to transform 15 regular schools with preschool, primary and secondary levels, into inclusive schools for 15 of the 17 departments of the country., In Nicaragua, UNICEF is part of the newly created Technical Commission for Accessible Digital Books, which, together with our main partner, the Ministry of Education, besides the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (a national reference centre for higher education) and the Zamora Teran Foundation (with experience in the development of…, In Nicaragua's experience, it has been very valuable that the main partners have provided the necessary human talent and adequate technological resources to produce and validate the prototype and the adaptations., Managua, Nicaragua, June 2021. Children play during a routine check-up. Doctor Nerys Galeano counsels the family on Care for Child Development (CCD), a program implemented by UNICEF in Latin America and the Caribbean. UNICEF/UN0498014/Carrión We have also made progress in forming the first technical teams: First technical team Second technical…

Uruguay has made significant progress in the needed infrastructure to access technology. However, technological solutions that promote accessible and quality education for all children and adolescents remain a challenge to be solved, especially for the most vulnerable populations such as children with disabilities., In 2008, Uruguay ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and has strengthened its regulatory framework in the General Education Law, which, in particular, promotes inclusive education., That is why in recent years we have developed various initiatives to foster inclusive education and promote Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in the classroom. Among them, we have worked together with strategic partners such as the National Administration of Public Education (ANEP)[1] and the Educational Connectivity Plan for Basic Computing for…, We believe in the importance of promoting this project and expanding it in the coming years., Congreso 104, Picture 2 A model country on accessible digital textbooks, Uruguay offers great opportunities to become a model country in the promotion of accessible digital textbooks. As a proof, CEIBAL currently provides each student and teacher in the public education system with a laptop and Internet connection without cost., Landing zorrito First version of the accessible digital textbook in Uruguay, The country already has a first version of the accessible digital reading and writing textbook for the first grade of primary school, which is currently being optimized. This process that takes place within ANEP, has strengthened the education system stakeholders capacities, and has promoted the appropriation of the material., In the short and medium term, we have set ourselves the following goals:, finalize the new version of the first-grade digital textbook, with adjustments to expand its accessibility; test its use in inclusive public schools, present the new version of the finished textbook to the authorities and the entire educational community; develop support tools for first-year teachers and potential users of the book next year; and…

Innovative solutions to transform education, At UNICEF we understand that technology and innovation, together with the intersectoral approach, are the fundamental pillars of the ADT initiative in Latin America and the Caribbean. That is why we work hand in hand with dedicated teams in the ministries of education in Colombia, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Uruguay and the Dominican Republic to…, Discover what we are doing in Latin America and the Caribbean, Meet other pilot projects around the world, Piloto-Kenia First pilot for Accessible Digital Textbook Initiative UNICEF/2019/De Barbeyrac UNICEF and UNESCO joint project funded by UNPRPD

What is Universal Design for Learning (UDL)?, UDL is an educational framework that recognizes that all children and adolescents learn in different ways and benefit from differentiated learning techniques in the classroom. Essentially, UDL is applied to educational practices, spaces and materials, seeking to adapt to individual differences and learning styles in flexible school environments.…, "When the education system moves away from models that try to standardize teaching, learning outcomes improve for all children and adolescents with or without disabilities, and students' motivation to learn increases.", Technology and Universal Design for Learning, As a first step to help educational systems move towards inclusive education and the provision of accessible learning materials, with our partners we have promoted the use of technology as a means for students to learn through:  , Multiple representation formats, Since students perceive and assimilate information differently (some learn better with visual tools, while others need auditory stimuli), it is necessary to have  multiple content presentation formats  that allow students to learn using different options for perception, languages, symbols and understanding. For example, videos with subtitles and…, Multiple actions and expression options, Each student  expresses what they learn in different ways . As indicated by CAST, "it should also be recognized that action and expression require a great deal of strategy, practice, and organization, and this is another area in which learners can differ. In reality, there is not one means of action and expression that will be optimal for all…, Multiple ways to participate, Students participate and are motivated to learn in different ways . This principle allows and encourages students to explore different interests and individual learning methods. For some people, this may mean watching video tutorials, while for others, it may mean doing interactive exercises to demonstrate their knowledge. Therefore, having…, Explore our resources

The purpose of this booklet is to assist UNICEF staff and our partners to understand the basic concepts of Universal Design for Learning with an emphasis on children with disabilities, and how it fits within UNICEF’s mission. Universal Design for Learning and its implications for children with disabilities. Ways of representing material so it is…

The purpose of this booklet is to support UNICEF’s mission by assisting UNICEF staff and our partners to understand the basic concepts of accessibility and universal design as they relate to education both in the physical and learning environment, with an emphasis on children with disabilities. The right of every child to receive an education,…