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A section of People with Disabilities (PWDs) have asked the Government to increase support towards the enhancement of inclusive education for Persons with Disability.

Young people with disability and their leaders from the National Union of Disabled Persons in Uganda (NUDIPU) said that Uganda has no policy to guide inclusive education.

That makes it difficult for the needs of learners with disabilities to be addressed.

This was revealed during an event where the British High Commission awarded five individuals for their outstanding contributions to promoting the rights and amplifying voices of people with disabilities across various sectors such as health and education in the country.

The winners were Shamim Wokobera,  Esther Khasalamwa, Vanessa Esther Nandudu, Tadeo Kamukama and Elijah Yunik.

A report by the Department of Special Needs Education that was recently published shows that 10% of children in Uganda have disabilities but of those only 4% are accessing education because of different challenges such as lack of assistive devices like wheelchairs and crutches.

Speaking at the event, Martin Ssenonga, a program manager at NUDIPU, said that for a normal child to go to school, all they need is a uniform, but for a disabled child, a lot is needed such as wheelchairs, crutches, yet most rural schools have impassable roads which make it very difficult for them to make it to schools especially during the rainy season.

“Children who make it to school also have challenges accessing the school environment which is not built in a way that enables them to use toilets and bathrooms comfortably. Those who are deaf have challenges of getting first-hand instructions since many teachers do not use sign language and this explains why in the recent Primary Leaving Examinations over 100 deaf learners were ungraded,” Ssenoga said.

During the release of PLE, UNEB reported that over 40 learners with disabilities who registered for examinations did not show up to sit for the final examinations.

Ssenonga appealed to the Government to expedite the passing of the Inclusive Education Policy to guide players in the sector to know how to handle different disability categories and also to enforce the Persons with Disability Act 2020, provisions that criminalize discrimination of children with disabilities in education.

Safia Nalule, the Chairperson of the Equal Opportunities Commission, was concerned that Uganda has no exact figures of people with disability something that affects decision-making because Government cannot plan well without figures.

“Every district in the country should map out special needs schools, assess the number of teachers, and their quality and also assess whether the teachers can impart quality education to those children. To those who are profoundly deaf, let the government do the assessment and train teachers who can train them,” she said.

She urged young people with disability to have confidence and also speak for themselves.

“Young people need to learn how to speak for themselves so that their voices are heard. I used to attend meetings where I was not invited and I would tell the organisers the challenges us people with disability go through and that is how certain policies and programmes were put in place,” Nalule said.

In her speech, British High Commissioner to Uganda, Kate Airey, said that children with disabilities who are currently not enrolled in school should be enrolled to develop their potential.

“The British High Commission is committed to ensuring all our programmes and activities enable Persons with Disabilities to participate and shape our work. It is estimated that 14 per cent of children born with disabilities, only 4 per cent are at school. We are taking the lead to ensure that the government comes up with an open door policy giving people with disabilities equal rights and access to all services,” Her excellence Airey, said.

The BHC Kampala is a strong supporter of disability inclusion, especially in education, social protection, and health. The UK has funded Expanding Social Protection II programme and the inclusive education programme under the Girls’ Education Challenge.

The Expanding Social Protection II programme supported the Government of Uganda to develop a disability management information system to assist with the implementation of the National Special Disability Grant.

The Girls’ Education Challenge has supported 2,500 children with disabilities benefit from learning opportunities through scholarships, provision of assistive devices and capacity building for teachers. 

Winners at glance

• Shamim Wokobera, is the chairperson of She Leads Girls with a Vision, a community-based organisation that is committed to advancing the health rights of girls and young women with disabilities in Iganga district. She has advocated for inclusive health services such as adjustable maternity beds, disability-friendly corners, assistive devices and sign language interpreters at health facilities. 

• Esther Khasalamwa, is a braille proofreader at the Uganda National Association of the Blind (UNAB). She promotes the right to equal and quality education for people with visual impairment by ensuring provision of quality and accurate textbooks and other documents in accessible and readable formats. 

• Vanessa Nandudu, is the Executive Director for Hands for You Foundation, which encourages communities to embrace solutions that are sustainable and protect the environment.

• Tadeo Kamukama, is a Music and life skills teacher delivering lessons contributing to the disability and inclusion programme at Brass for Africa.   Tadeo also promotes disability in the Travel for All Campaign, advocating for tourism inclusion for people living with disabilities.

• Elijah Yunik is an advocate for inclusive employment who has championed initiatives aimed at enhancing the workplace experience for people with disabilities. Elijah has organizes awareness campaigns and community outreach programmes for persons with disabilities.