Disability Rights 1: Introducing the Persons with Disabilities Act

The series of posts, Know Your Rights 1: Fundamental Human Rights to Know Your Rights 27: Getting your voice heard 2 discussed the human rights laid out in the Bill of Rights, Chapter 4 of the Constitution of Uganda. Those rights are the basic human rights that every citizen of Uganda can expect.

Article 35 of the Constitution of Uganda states that persons with disabilities (PWDs) have the same right to respect and human dignity as other citizens. It further says that parliament will make laws to ensure that PWDs realize their full and mental potential.

One of the most significant laws written by the Ugandan parliament to support PWDs is the Persons with Disabilities Act (PWDA) 2006. The PWDA is modeled on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) which Uganda ratified in 2006. (The blog post Do you know your rights? gives a summary of the CRPD). The rights given to PWDs in the PWDA are in addition to the basic human rights in the Constitution of Uganda.

How it all fits together: According to Article 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Section 5 of Uganda’s Persons with Disability Act and Article 35 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda PWDs have the same right to education as other citizens.

The African Disability Rights Year Book: Uganda summarizes the PWDA like this:

The Persons with Disabilities Act, 2006 is the primary legislation for the protection of human rights for persons with disabilities. It makes provisions for the elimination of all forms of discrimination against persons with disabilities and calls for the equalisation of opportunities.

The International Labour Organisation summarizes the PWDA like this (see Inclusion of People with Disabilities In Uganda):

The Persons with Disabilities Act, 2006, makes provisions for the elimination of all forms of discriminations against people with disabilities and towards equal opportunities. Also provides for a tax reduction of 15 per cent to private employers who employ ten or more persons with disabilities either as regular employees, apprentice or learner on a full time basis.

This series of posts will discuss the rights given to PWDs in the PWDA.