Africa-Press – Uganda. Persons with disabilities (PWDs) have asked the government to consider mandatory sign language training for all health workers to enable them communicate with people with hearing and speech impairment.
They made the request during a medical camp for PWDs in Katanga slum, Kawempe Division in Kampala on Friday last week.
The project coordinator of Tunaweza Foundation, a charity organisation that organised the camp, Ms Aisha Namugga, said sign language should be included among the subjects taught to medical students.
“When the hearing impaired people go to health facilities, they need interpreters because they cannot be able to go into detail about their conditions since most doctors don’t understand their language and it limits their efforts to express themselves freely,” Ms Namugga said.
She said when it comes to health issues, especially HIV/Aids and other sexually transmitted infections, those with hearing and speech impairment need privacy like other people but because many health officials do not know sign language, they need interpreters.
“Some people with hearing impairment who are living with HIV/Aids refuse to adhere to antiretroviral drugs (ARV) because they don’t know why they are taking them. All the information is given to the caretaker because of the language barrier as health workers are unable to communicate with them,” Ms Namugga said She said some programmes aimed at sensitising people against diseases such as HIV/Aids are aired on platforms such as radio that do not favour those with hearing impairment.
Ms Namugga added that even when these messages are aired on TV, sign language interpreters are not provided. She asked the government to consider PWDs when disseminating information.
Ms Myleen Kyomuhendo, a counsellor at Tunaweza Foundation said most buildings, including those housing health facilities, do not have ramps to ease accessibility by PWDs.
She urged government to implement laws that protect rights of PWDs to access public buildings.
The Building Control Act of 2013 stipulates that all public buildings should be easily accessible by PWDs.
“We ask Kampala Capital City Authority not to give licences to health centres which are not accessible to PWDs. It should ensure that health centres and even other buildings have ramps for PWDs,”Ms Kyomuhendo said.
The chairperson for PWDs in Kimwanyi Village in Kawempe Division, Mr Alex Ssebandeke, expressed concern over the increasing poverty among the PWDs, saying the government programmes intended to help them fail because of corrupt officials.
“The government should educate the PWDs in communities about such programmes and do the follow up because the money is shared among a few people,” Mr Ssebandeke. said.
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