The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Gender, Labor and Social Development Ministry will translate all election material to suit the interests of people with disabilities especially the blind and deaf.
The State Minister for the Elderly and Disabled Sarah Kanyike disclosed this at a press conference at the government-owned media center.
She explained that most people with disabilities especially the deaf are usually left out of the electoral process due to the unfavourable information dissemination methods.
Kanyike says that due to the limited number of sign language interpreters in the country, many deaf people who cannot afford hiring interpreters hardly make clear and informed election choices.
“There are very few sign language interpreters and are expensive to hire which leaves many deaf people lacking their services,” Kanyike said.
Emily Ajambo, the acting commissioner for the Disabled and Elderly in the Gender ministry says the ministry is engaging the Electoral Commission to ensure an inclusive 2021 electoral process.
Ajambo says that the ministry was able to provide the People with Disabilities Act 2020 to help guide PWDs in the forthcoming elections. She says the Act is to be translated into audiovisual form to help both the blind and the deaf to read with their fingers.
Joseph Mbulamwana, the Executive Director of Uganda National Association of the Deaf-UNAD, says elections cannot be fair and free if the deaf are not catered for during the planning and implementation of the process.
“If the deaf persons lack sign language interpreters to help translate the candidates manifestos ensuring that they understand what their objectives are before making an informed choice, then the elections cannot be termed as fair and free,” Mbulamwana said.
PWDs constitute 12.4% of the entire population and of these 3.1% are deaf. Uganda will join the international community in a scientific commemoration of the international day for the deaf on September 25th, 2020 in Masaka district.
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I refer to the Article, “Gender Ministry to translate election material for the Deaf,Blind”
One of key issue raised is the issue of very few sign language interpreters, which I strongly disagree! Kyambogo University has been training Sign language interpreters for 20years now, and yet there’s no signal interpreter hired by Public Service-on the Basis that, it’s not a recognized profession in Uganda. If that’s the case, why not recognize the profession, and have interpreters paid by government instead of lamenting on the expensive Sign language Services and non availability. If Kyambogo has been training interpreters for past 20 years, let’s assume only 05 graduated per year, let public service advertise for only 100 sign language interpreters, they will shocked by the number of application letters they will receive.
UNAD and the Gender Ministry should not hide in exobitant fees levied by Sign language interpreters, rather, they should recruit interpreters in all Districts, Referral Hospitals, SNE schools, High Courts,etc who are paid by the Government.
Napakol Nobert
A sign language interpreter,
Kyambogo University.