Binding and effective laws for the construction of accessible school buildings

In 2010 the Uganda National Action on Physical Disability developed and launched its Accessibility Standards. In an effort to promote their effective implementation at a local level, the government of Nabbale has developed the By-Law on Accessibility which is the first of its kind among the eight sub-counties forming the Mukono district.

In 2010 the Uganda National Action on Physical Disability (UNAPD), a non-profit organization, developed and launched the Accessibility Standards in line with Article 9 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In an effort to promote the effective implementation of the standards at the local level, the local government of Nabbale, a sub-county in the Mukono district of Uganda, has developed the By-Law on Accessibility. Since its passing in 2016, seven newly constructed schools have been built in line with the accessibility needs of children with disabilities.

Problems Targeted

Despite the fact that Uganda is among the few countries in Africa with the most disability-friendly legal frameworks, such as the National Policy on Disability (2006), the Accessibility Standards (2010), and the Building Control Act (2013), accessibility standards at the local level are still not always implemented accordingly by the relevant stakeholders in the construction industry.

Funding, Outlook and Transferability

The policy is the first of its kind among the eight sub-counties forming the Mukono district. Since each sub-county can develop and pass its own By-Law, the policy is expected to be replicated in other sub-counties in the future. The consultative process of developing the By-Law on Accessibility and its passing and approval by the Nabbale Council was financed by the Disability Rights Advocacy Fund and the local government. The budget for the implementation was US$ 60,000 in 2016.