Hindrances to Education Attainment of the Disabled People in Uganda: Case Study of Kampala District

Abstract

With the birth of many NGOs in Uganda and introduction of UPE and USE, there has been increased enrollment of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in schools and institutions. This enrollment has also been catalyzed by the favorable laws and policies that favor PWDs into admission. However, there still remains a lot to be done with the ever increasing levels of disability among Ugandans. This case study therefore aimed at finding out the current level of education among the disabled people; identifying the disabled people’s coping mechanisms in the light of persistent illiteracy; finding out the disabled people’s ability to cope when they are enrolled at education institutions and to assess if the disabled person’s family background affects their ability to attain education. The key findings of this study are that poor attitude, financial constraints, difficulty in movement, inaccessible structures and stigma are the major obstacles to education attainment. Other hinderances namely; lack of special needs schools and teachers, lack of machines like computers, Braille machines, and scholastic materials also play a big role. Considering the existing situation, parents of the disabled children should join hands with the government to provide facilities necessary for their education especially the learning aids. Parents should also stop discriminating against their disabled children. Government ought to put in much effort to implement the special needs education program in the curricula of teaching institutions.