World Sight Day: Let's remove the barriers facing Uganda’s blind children

By Joseph Mutanda Baliddawa

In 1985, while living in Zambia, I was inducted into the Lions Club of Lusaka by the visiting international president of Lions Clubs International. During his induction speech, the international president recalled a challenge Helen Keller had issued to members of Lions Clubs 60 years earlier.

In 1925, Keller, who was deaf and blind, addressed the Lions International Convention in Ohio and challenged its members to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness”.

Her challenge helped shape the Lions’ longstanding commitment to sight.

Her words resonated deeply with me because I had seen neglected blind children in my home village in Busoga. Some had no access to education or even basic healthcare. I had seen children with potential whose opportunities were being limited not only by visual impairment, but also by the circumstances around them.

More than four decades later, that conviction remains with me.

As Uganda joins the rest of the world in marking World Sight Day on October 8, we are rightly reminded of the importance of protecting our eyes and ensuring access to quality eye care. This year’s global campaign, #LoveYourEyes, also places people’s lived experiences and community action at the heart of the conversation.

However, as we work to prevent avoidable sight loss and improve access to treatment, we must also ask: What kind of life are we creating for the child who is already blind or visually impaired?

From my experience, particularly in the Busoga sub-region, poverty and stigma remain significant barriers to education, healthcare and social inclusion for blind children. Sometimes that stigma is reflected in language we have normalised. A blind person may simply be called muzibe (the blind one), as though they do not have a name. They do.

Behind that label is a child with a name, a personality, abilities and aspirations. Visual impairment should never erase their identity or diminish their right to dignity, education, healthcare and opportunity.

The consequences of these barriers are visible in our education system. According to UNICEF Uganda, children with disabilities account for about 16 percent of Uganda's child population, yet in 2023 they represented only 1.97 percent of total primary school enrolment, based on figures from the Office of the Auditor General.

While this figure covers disabilities more broadly rather than visual impairment alone, it points to a troubling gap between our commitment to inclusion and the reality many children experience. 

The question is not whether children with visual impairment can learn. We know they can. When they have access to Braille, assistive technology, appropriately trained teachers and supportive learning environments, barriers begin to fall. In Uganda, visually impaired learners already use technologies such as computers, audio learning materials and Braille devices to participate more effectively in education.

Too often, however, the conversation about children with visual impairment begins with what they cannot do. We need to change that thinking. Given the right support and opportunities, these children can develop skills, pursue careers and contribute meaningfully to their families, communities and country. Inclusion is not an act of charity; it is about recognising ability and creating opportunity.

Our response must therefore go beyond eye care alone. Children with visual impairment need inclusive education, accessible learning resources, appropriate assistive devices, healthcare, mentorship and social support. They need families and communities that recognise their abilities rather than define them by their disability.

This responsibility belongs to all of us: families, schools, healthcare providers, government, civil society, businesses and communities. Each has a role to play in removing the barriers that prevent children with visual impairment from participating fully in society.

Over the years, I realised that the support I was providing to the blind community could not remain limited to my local community or depend on my lifetime. If it was to make a lasting impact, it needed to be sustainable. That conviction eventually led me to establish the Joseph Baliddawa Foundation for the Visually Impaired, so that my efforts can continue for generations.

More than a century after Helen Keller issued her challenge, its spirit remains relevant.

This World Sight Day, I challenge us to see the person before the disability. Call the child by their name. Give them the opportunity to learn. Support them to develop their abilities. Allow them to dream, contribute and thrive.

Blindness may affect how a child experiences the world, but it should never limit that child’s future.

The writer is a seasoned accountant and the founder and chairperson of the Joseph Baliddawa Foundation for the Visually Impaired