NUDIPU, PARTNERS CALL FOR INCLUSIVITY OF PWDs IN COMMUNITIES

 By Sunday Amandi 

Arua city

National Union of Disabled Persons in Uganda, NUDIPU, with National Union of Women with disabilities, and the albinism umbrella are advocating for the inclusion of persons with disability in access of social services and decision making process in all levels of governance, saying, their issues matter just like issues of any other person without impairment.

NUDIPU, together with the National Union of Women with Disabilities of Uganda, NUWODU and the albinism Umbrella Uganda with funding from the Royal Danish Embassy and its partners, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Sweden are implementing the advanced inclusion of persons with disability in social services and decision making processes in Uganda project.

In their engagement under the their project that aims to improve inclusiveness and responsiveness of all the actors in Arua city, Olive Namutebi, the executive director for the albinism umbrella Uganda says, they focus on identifying barrier faced by persons with disability in the community for their possible solutions through advocacy,

“We are looking at the inclusivity of persons with disabilities in the enjoyment of social services, and we are asking them, what is it that needs to be prioritized for West Nile region, and we are looking at social services especially health, education and meaningful participation, to my fellow persons with disability, self-stigma will not take us far, so love yourself as a person with disability, and give every positive vibe that you can to the community out there,” Olive said.

Stella Amavuru, the female councilor for persons with disability in Terego district points to access of facilities in government hospitals by women with disabilities as a huge barrier in the region,

“If you are a woman with disability and you are taken to hospital for delivery, the beds are not really accessible for women with disabilities, the day I was taken for operation for my child, the bed I was asked to climb was not really easily accessible for me,” Amavuru said.

Alex Ameko, the community development officer in Obongi district identified lack of sufficient data and interpreters among the disability challenges in the region,

“We don’t have comprehensive data for purposes of planning as far as persons with disabilities are concerned, even the different categories of disability as per the disability Act 2010, when you go to our institutions, we don’t have interpreters trained, it becomes challenging and this person ends up not getting the services,” said Ameko.

In a voice of hope, Denise Odwar, the manager for policy and rights at NUDIPU says, they look forward to promoting inclusivity by addressing the barriers,

“NUDIPUS Vision is to see a society that is just and fair enough where persons with disability can live a prosperous and dignified life, and this vision also carries along with the mission to advocate for the rights of persons with disability in a unified voice for improved livelihood, “Denise said.

Uganda has made progress in advancing disability inclusion through various laws, policies and frameworks, but many persons with disability still continue to face the barriers in accessing the essential social services and participating in decision making.