Disability is not Inability

:: executive summary

:: background 1

:: background 2

:: Problem statement

Socio-political structures that favour able-bodied populations are the main barriers to political participation of people living with impairment (s) to access their human rights.

People with disabilities who consist of a large section of Kenyan population are disenfranchised from civic duties that would otherwise mobilize their effective participation and significantly contribute to improving economic growth and also achieve their human rights.

Influential political participation structures like the mainstream media, electoral process, socio-political environment favour those with able bodies to pursue their human potential but disenfranchise those living with impairments. Majority of those with impairments as hearing, visual, physically et al, live in hardcore poverty as they lack access to real opportunities for employment, education health and socio-cultural environment created by on-going economic growth(12).

The need for adjustments(13) to these social structures faces two challenges. There are ingrained negative attitudes towards disability that preclude low self esteem among disabled people and perpetuated dependency among the community(14).

Improving access to these social-political structures begins with adjusting negative attitudes of able-bodied citizens and structures. This is done through an inclusive national civic education. The media used should be shared by both people with and without disabilities.

Adjusting(15) political structures and attitudes require civic education media that is accessible and inclusive(16). Communication has more impact whenever disabilities are no longer approached as an isolated issue but are rather slotted in across the board under topics rated as high priority by the World Bank, such as Education and Early Child Development, Youth at Risk and HIV/AIDS, Unemployment and Gender(17).

Civic education through a calendar media that is shared by all Kenyans (living with and without disabilities) and elicits discussion through thematic messages that empower and create awareness respectively is identified as an effective affordable strategy.

Positive attitudes are built and entrenched when both people living with and living without disabilities learn to appreciate the benefits of these adjustments leading to votes adequate to enable government spending on universal access.

A calendar civic education media like any other media, should embrace a two-way approach: a) empowering people with disabilities to take up political participation opportunities and b) public education of non-disabled voters on the benefits and ways of adjusting political systems and environment to empower our inclusive participation.

:: justification.

:: Methodology

disabilitykenya