That was the message Fundashon Alton Paas brought to the Curaçao Media and Information Literacy Workshop on 3 and 4 November. It was a UNESCO Global MIL Week 2026 side event hosted by the UNESCO Office for the Caribbean, the Curaçao National Commission for UNESCO and the Regulatory Authority of Curaçao, under the theme “We all play a part.”
Media and Information Literacy (MIL) is the ability to find, judge, use and share information responsibly. As Eric Falt, Regional Director of UNESCO for the Caribbean, reminded participants, online choices have offline consequences.
Three concerns
FAP CEO Alton Paas noted that disability takes many forms, and that experiences differ by type, severity, and whether someone was born with a disability or acquired it later. He then shared three concerns:
- Information about us is made without us. During COVID, everyone was told to wash their hands. But wheelchair users push their wheels with their hands, so without also cleaning their hand rims, the advice falls short.
- When information misses our reality, trust disappears. People may then turn to sources that seem to understand them but aren’t reliable, and don’t always have good intentions.
- What exists is hard to find. Information is scattered, and even professionals often don’t know where to point people.
Three solutions
On day two, together with the Aruba National Commission for UNESCO, Alton proposed:
- Involve people with disabilities from the start, before anything is published.
- Bring information together in one place. FAP is already building a resource list.
- Include civil society in the budget. Nonprofits reach people directly. With resources, they can deliver better quality and help public information reach those who need it most.
The conversation also opened the door to continued collaboration with Aruba, building on FAP’s earlier work on accessibility in Aruba and Bonaire.
How you can help
Do you know an organisation or service for people with disabilities in Curaçao? Let us know at info@fundashonaltonpaas.org and help us make information easier to find for everyone.
We thank Marva Browne and the organisers for making disability part of this conversation. Trust starts with being included. We all play a part.
