My name is Gabriel Nixon Okeny. I have been serving the University [of Kyambogo, in Uganda] as a Hall Warden since 1996. I hold a Master’s degree in Social Sector Planning and Management from Makerere University, a Bachelors of Political Science and Public Administration from Makerere University and a Postgraduate Dip. In Community.

Based Rehabilitation from Kyambogo University. I also have a Diploma in Secondary Education from Makerere University and a Certificate in Administrative Law from the Law Development Centre Kampala. I live with a Physical Disability as a result of a road traffic accident.

Arising from my socio-economic background, l could opine that I am luckier than many other persons with disabilities in my very situation because l happened to be employed in an institution that appreciated and deeply understood disability from very beginning. Here I am talking about UNISE, the Uganda National Institute of Special Education, an Institution where l served as warden before it was merged in 2003 to form Kyambogo University as we know it today. But that said… accessibility to some buildings on campus is still a problem. I am therefore not able to attend key meetings that take place in the senate building like my other colleagues because there are no ramps lifts.

Generally, I am well facilitated to perform my core functions at the university and l enjoy respect and a sense of value from not just my immediate bosses and colleagues but from the top management and the students l serve.

Awareness raising has been the preoccupation of the Kyambogo University Disability Assessment Committee and The Disability Resource Center for over 8 years now. The Guild Structures accommodate representations of Students with Disabilities Associations on Campus and the elected students with disabilities work closely together with the Disability Resource Coordinator and the Disability Committee to raise awareness on core concerns of students with disabilities at various leadership and management levels of the university. Every year the Disability Resource Center Coordinator and the Disability Assessment Committee present budgets for financing scholastic materials and other learning needs of students with disabilities to the Budget Committee of the university.

The Faculty of Special Needs is at the forefront of the awareness raising. Training on sign language has from time to time been organized for staff members of the Universities that interact with deaf students but have no knowledge of sign language to communicate with such students. The awareness raising endeavors have helped other members of the university to cease to view disability as divine punishment…this in my view is a huge milestone arising from a deeper appreciation of persons with disabilities on campus.

Students inclusion in lectures still remains a big problem….in our yearly assessment of students with disabilities…the awareness raising endeavors notwithstanding, many students with physical disabilities still suffer exclusion in the time tabling of lecture rooms. In faculties other than the Faculty of Special Needs, students in wheelchairs are literally and precariously lifted by fellow students to the upper stairs to attend lectures. We have a case where a student with a physical disability has had to sleep in the lecture room to avoid missing an early morning lecture the following day… This attests to great challenges that students with mobility difficulties face with regard to inclusion on lecture matters.

When it comes to exams, every student assessed by the Disability Assessment committee who has challenges that require extra time usually gets 45 minutes beyond normal time. Those that cannot write are often given writers to help them write down their exams. All these activities take place in special rooms arranged for them.

My advice to other staff of Kyambogo University on inclusion is to be around positive attitudes….give students with disabilities all the sense of worth that elevates their human dignity. When they come for service in an office setting, serve them affirmatively… endeavor to learn sign language, and so on.

Thank you very much

Language is a powerful tool for prejudice and discrimination. Historically, persons with disabilities have been labelled or called names to emphasize that they are different and do not conform to the societal norms of abilities and beauty.

In some cultures in South Sudan, as in many other parts of the world, individuals with disabilities are addressed by their impairments rather than by their given names.

• When meeting for the first time, introduce and describe yourself.
• Identify yourself so the person with the visual impairment knows who you are.
• If you get closer in your relationship, a blind person may want to feel your body features as part of getting to know you better.
• Inform the person if you are moving away. Do not leave without telling him or her that you are leaving.
• Describe the space you are in as well as any things you see to the person.
• Be specific in your descriptions. Say, “the table is in front of you”, NOT “the table is here”.
• Avoid comments like ‘over there’ when giving directions. Rather be specific to direct him to their right or left (and not your right or left).
• When you are in a group, tell them who is present, or let the group members introduce themselves.
• When conversing in a group setting, address persons by their names.
• When you are talking in a group, use the person’s name when you are directing the conversation to him or her.
• Always talk directly to the person. Do not use a third person to answer your questions.
• Do not move things, or leave things on the floor where someone can fall over them.
• Speak naturally and clearly. There is no need to shout.
• Avoid noisy places so that he or she can hear you clearly.

• Always ask first if the person wants help. Do not help someone without asking him or her first.
• For people with low vision use clear signs and documents. These can be in large letters or with letters that you can feel.
• For blind people who can read braille, you can give written information in braille.
• When preparing printed information for persons with low vision, ask the person his/her preferred formats for personal documents. General information is usually given in Arial 18 point bold.
• Do not provide email attachments or files to be read on a computer in PDF or PowerPoint formats. Use Word document or html. Presently, accessible PDF files are emerging but this is not common in Africa.
• Do not be surprised to hear or scared to use phrases like ‘I will see you’. People who cannot see use such phrases too.
• If you are at a table together for a meal, give a description of the food. If possible, describe where what is on the plate.
• Do not play with or remove the white cane of a person who is blind from where he or she places it. If it is unavoidable for you to place the white cane elsewhere, remember to inform the person. They need the white cane for mobility purposes.
• Do not play with a guide dog without the owner’s permission. It is a distraction. The dog is on duty.
• Avoid revolving doors. On stairs and escalators, assist by putting the person’s hand on the railing. Let the person know whether the stairs or escalators are going up or down. Allow them a choice between stairs, escalators or lifts.

• Walk alongside and slightly ahead of the person. Do not hold the person’s hand. Allow them to hold your arm.
• Bend your arm to your back when passing through a narrow space. S/he will get directly behind you to avoid obstacles.

• Put the person’s hand on the back of his/her chair. S/he will be able to sit.
• If the chair is backless, put his/her hand on the seat for him/her to be able to sit.

Here are some useful tips for communicating with someone with a visual impairment. However, even though these tips can provide useful guidance on communicating with persons with visual impairments, it is always important to ask someone themselves how they want to be addressed, and how they want to be supported or treated.

• When meeting for the first time, introduce and describe yourself.
• Identify yourself so the person with the visual impairment knows who you are.
• If you get closer in your relationship, a blind person may want to feel your body features as part of getting to know you better.
• Inform the person if you are moving away. Do not leave without telling him or her that you are leaving.
• Describe the space you are in as well as any things you see to the person.
• Be specific in your descriptions. Say, “the table is in front of you”, NOT “the table is here”.
• Avoid comments like ‘over there’ when giving directions. Rather be specific to direct him to their right or left (and not your right or left).
• When you are in a group, tell them who is present, or let the group members introduce themselves.
• When conversing in a group setting, address persons by their names.
• When you are talking in a group, use the person’s name when you are directing the conversation to him or her.
• Always talk directly to the person. Do not use a third person to answer your questions.
• Do not move things, or leave things on the floor where someone can fall over them.
• Speak naturally and clearly. There is no need to shout.
• Avoid noisy places so that he or she can hear you clearly.

• Always ask first if the person wants help. Do not help someone without asking him or her first.
• For people with low vision use clear signs and documents. These can be in large letters or with letters that you can feel.
• For blind people who can read braille, you can give written information in braille.
• When preparing printed information for persons with low vision, ask the person his/her preferred formats for personal documents. General information is usually given in Arial 18 point bold.
• Do not provide email attachments or files to be read on a computer in PDF or PowerPoint formats. Use Word document or html. Presently, accessible PDF files are emerging but this is not common in Africa.
• Do not be surprised to hear or scared to use phrases like ‘I will see you’. People who cannot see use such phrases too.
• If you are at a table together for a meal, give a description of the food. If possible, describe where what is on the plate.
• Do not play with or remove the white cane of a person who is blind from where he or she places it. If it is unavoidable for you to place the white cane elsewhere, remember to inform the person. They need the white cane for mobility purposes.
• Do not play with a guide dog without the owner’s permission. It is a distraction. The dog is on duty.
• Avoid revolving doors. On stairs and escalators, assist by putting the person’s hand on the railing. Let the person know whether the stairs or escalators are going up or down. Allow them a choice between stairs, escalators or lifts.

• Walk alongside and slightly ahead of the person. Do not hold the person’s hand. Allow them to hold your arm.
• Bend your arm to your back when passing through a narrow space. S/he will get directly behind you to avoid obstacles.

• Put the person’s hand on the back of his/her chair. S/he will be able to sit.
• If the chair is backless, put his/her hand on the seat for him/her to be able to sit.