Abstract:

Like all other members of society in Uganda, persons with disabilities (PWDs) have the right to live and contribute towards their well being. Categories of PWDs may range from those with visual impairment, hearing impairment, intellectual impairment, physical impairment, to mention, but a few. Be it what they are, the Constitution of Uganda (1995), among other policy frameworks, provides that such people are to be accorded the freedom, safety and right to enjoy, participate in activities and have access to facilities that are there to enable them live more humanely. The purpose of this study was to find out to what extent PWDs holding positions of leadership in various sectors, social, or economic were performing. Specifically, there was need to establish whether, or not, being disabled had any influence on individuals’ playing roles of leadership in Ugandan. A sample, comprising different categories of PWDs, as listed above (N=42) was purposively selected from four (4) districts of Uganda. A case study, involving in depth interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted. Thematic analysis result indicates high confidence in both self esteem and self actualization. The findings varied as follows: that the role of leadership increased their being recognized and accepted in the communities, that they shared and enjoyed working with non-disabled people, that their lives, had greatly improved, compared to their fellow PWDs who had not been exposed to such responsibilities, and that most fears of stigmatization against them had drastically reduced. The findings from persons with mental retardation (PWMR), however, was not in line with their counterparts (those with physical, visual, or hearing impairment). The individuals interviewed under this category revealed that: they were still discriminated against, by being denied leadership roles; that they were made to know that they were not clever and that they were offered more casual jobs at all times. One of the conclusions here is that needs assessment for PWDs in Uganda has not been adequate, to find out what and how much these categories of people can do in terms of leadership the country. Another conclusion is that education provision has not been balanced for PWDs in Uganda – that there is more emphasis put in favour of one category of PWD, namely the persons with visual impairment (PVI). As far as PWDR are concerned, majority of them do not receive formal education beyond secondary school, so this results in disadvantaging the group in competing for leadership role in Uganda. The following recommendations are hereby made. All categories of PWDs ought to undergo basic education and beyond, so as to be considered for leadership roles in Uganda. The association of, and for PWDs ought to work with relevant government authorities to ensure that jobs are given to all categories of PWDs without discrimination.