Disability Rights 26: Right to Participate in public life

In addition to the human rights laws in the Constitution of Uganda there are several other rights granted to persons with disabilities (PWDs). These rights are given by law in the Persons With Disabilities Act 2006 (PWDA) which is modeled on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Whether you are a PWD or not, these laws apply to you.

Section 37 of the PWDA states that PWDs have the right to participate in public and political life, they have the right to vote and be voted into any political office. PWDs have the right to take part in any public or political associations or organizations. PWDs have the right to take part in the decision making process. The government guarantees the right of PWDs to exercise their political rights by:

• Ensuring voting procedures are simple, easy to access, and facilities are appropriate. 
• Protecting the right to a secret ballot without intimidation.
• Protecting the right to stand for election.
• Allowing the assistance of a helper of the PWD's own choice to help with the use of appropriate technology.
• Promoting an environment where PWDs can fully and effectively take part in public and political affairs.

The 2014 paper Successful Inclusion of PWDs in Democratic Governance, Structures and Processes - Case of Uganda discusses the role of PWDs in the democratic process in Uganda. The paper opens noting that:

currently political representation of PWDs is well established, with Seven Members of Parliament (MPs) with five of them indirectly elected through quotas and two through mainstream electoral process as well as over 50,000 representatives at district level and below.

The paper concludes:

The bottom line, however, is that for disability inclusive policies to happen, there must be a high level of mobilisation of PWDs. Otherwise, a divided group of PWDs cannot have the authority to influence decisions which can improve the livelihood of the entire population of PWDs.

If you are a PWD, your vote counts the same as any other citizen and you have the same right to vote as any other citizen.

Everyone is entitled to vote. 

This law is written like this in section 37 of the Persons With Disabilities Act 2006:

37. Participation in public life.

(1) Persons with disabilities shall have the right to fully participate in political and public life and to vote and be voted in any political office.

(2) Persons with disabilities shall have the right to participate in public administration, civil society, political parties and other associations or organisations.

(3) Persons with disabilities shall have the right to fully participate and take part in the decision making process.

(4) The Government shall guarantee that persons with disabilities can exercise their political rights by—

(a) ensuring that voting procedures, facilities and materials are appropriate, accessible and easy to understand and use;

(b) protecting their right to vote by secret ballot in elections and referenda without intimidation and to stand for elections;

(c) allowing assistance in voting by a person of their own choice, on request and facilitating the use of assistive and new technologies where appropriate; and

(d) generally promoting an environment in which persons with disabilities can fully and effectively participate in political activities and public affairs.