The Third Deputy Prime Minister of Uganda, Lukia Isanga Nakadama, has called for enhanced community-based rehabilitation and inclusivity for people with disabilities, emphasizing the critical role of these efforts in achieving sustainable development goals.
Nakadama made these remarks while presiding over the 7th Community-Based Rehabilitation/Community-Based Inclusive Development (CBR/CBID) Africa Conference 2024 in Entebbe.
The minister highlighted the government's commitment, noting that it has already allocated over Shs 44.3 billion to support various interest groups, particularly people living with disabilities, through grants aimed at economic empowerment across the country.
The conference, themed "Advancing Community-Based Rehabilitation and Community-Based Inclusive Development for a Disability-Inclusive Society," brought together Ugandan and foreign ministers, members of parliament, international delegates, and representatives from the disability community.
The participants focused on advancing community-based rehabilitation and promoting inclusive development for a society that embraces people with disabilities.
Minister Nakadama also revealed that the government is proposing a tax waiver on essential disability health supplies through the implementation of the Community-Based Disability Inclusive Development (CBDID) Strategy 2025-2035.
This proposal aims to ensure easier access to services and rehabilitation centers for people with disabilities.
Hellen Grace Asamo , the minister of State for Disability Affairs and Member of Parliament Representing Persons with Disabilities, highlighted the importance of community-based interventions in identifying, assessing, and managing disability cases to protect the rights of people living with disabilities.
The three-day conference aimed to foster knowledge exchange and discussions on policies across various sectors to address critical issues affecting the well-being of persons with disabilities.
The event sought to promote collaboration between disability-specific programs, initiatives, and mainstream actors at different levels.
During the conference, participants identified poor communication as a significant challenge that hampers progress for people with disabilities.
Maholo Calorine Sserunkuma, a lecturer at Kyambogo University, noted that many individuals remain uninformed about how to support people with disabilities within their communities.
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"The main challenge we face now is a lack of information. Disability is still misunderstood by many, and there are people who have persons with disabilities in their homes but don't know how to help. Conferences like this allow us to learn from one another," she said.
Other challenges discussed included the lack of expertise at the community level to facilitate early disability identification, referral, and rehabilitation; limited involvement of persons with disabilities in the design of new adaptive technology by the private sector; restricted access to modern rehabilitation services and assistive technology; and gender-based discrimination faced by women and girls with disabilities.
Additionally, self-stigma, community stigma, and mindset factors were highlighted as barriers to building inclusive communities, along with inadequate enforcement of the disability inclusion framework.
The conference emphasized the need for stronger policies and collaborative efforts to create a more inclusive society for all.
