In December 2017 the Constitutional Commission, together with the Human Rights Commission, launched two alternative formats of the Cayman Islands Constitution Order, 2009 (the “Constitution”) for persons with sight or literacy impairments in Cayman – an audio Constitution and hard copies of the Constitution in braille. The project came about when a member of the public who was visually impaired approached the Commissions about accessing the Constitution; further research showed that there are around 788 persons in the Cayman Islands who are considered to have a “sight disability” (ESO, 2010). The audio production marks the first official audio recording of any constitution in the Cayman Islands history, and, to their knowledge, the braille publications mark the first ever official production of a government document in braille.
A private event took place at the National Gallery on Thursday, 7 December to celebrate the launch, giving attendees, many of whom had contributed to the audio production, a preview of the projects. Braille copies of the Constitution were also presented to representatives from the Cayman Islands Public Library Service (which will place one in every library in the Cayman Islands), Sunrise Adult Training Centre and the Lighthouse School. The audio version of the Constitution is now available online and can be accessed via the Constitutional Commission and the Human Rights Commission websites.
The event was held to fall between two significant dates – International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) which took place on Sunday, 3 December, and International Human Rights Day (IHRD) which takes place on Sunday, 10 December.
Listen to the Audio Constitution
Please note that the audio files are only available directly from the SoundCloud website at this time, and not from the Commissions Secretariat website as usual. We are working to resolve this matter and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
View a PDF of the Cayman Islands Constitution - Audio Track List with Readers.
View photos from the event:
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Photo 1
Caption: Attorney General Samuel Bulgin inspects a braille copy of the Constitution
Photo by: GIS
Photo 2
Caption: Kim Voaden and Finita Ebanks receive a braille copy of the Constitution for the Sunrise Adult Training Centre from the Chairmen of the CC and HRC
(L-R: Vaughan Carter, Chairman of the Constitutional Commission; James Austin-Smith, Chairman of the Human Rights Commission; Kimberly Voaden, Director of the Sunrise Adult Training Centre; Finita Ebanks, Sunrise Adult Training Centre client)
Photo by: GIS
Photo 3
Caption: Janilee Clifford listens to her reading of section 109 of the Constitution
(L-R: Lise Hurlstone, Analyst/Administrator for the Commissions Secretariat; Janilee Clifford, audio constitution reader)
Photo by: GIS
This recording was produced in 2017 by the Commissions Secretariat and Radio Cayman. Technical support has been provided by Norma McField and Joel Wilson. Below is a list of readers who contributed to the project: