Film
Right To Vote
Disabled Ugandans Want to Vote Independently
Uganda has made strides in increasing political representation for people with disabilities, but for many voters, access to the ballot remains out of reach. At polling stations, especially in rural areas, essential accommodations like sign language interpreters and guides are often unavailable. Ballots are not provided in Braille, forcing some voters to rely on others and compromising their independence and privacy. Many polling places are physically inaccessible, with no ramps or space for wheelchair users, making it difficult or impossible for some to enter and vote. “A person, for example, with a wheelchair cannot access and cannot have privacy,” says Muzamiru Musembya, chairperson and board member, Jinja District. “They will be just lifted like a stone to be taken where you’re supposed to vote from.”
Video edited by Taylor Blackley. Additional footage by Isaac Oboth.
Access this film with audio descriptions. Audio descriptions and editing by Taylor Blackley.
Filmmaker: Christine Oliver Dhikusooka
Christine Oliver Dhikusooka is a 48-year-old Catholic Ugandan, married with four children. She is a woman with a physical disability resulting from polio at age four. She holds an accounting diploma from Makerere Perfect Accountancy Centre in Kampala. Dhikusooka is the executive director of One Voice Heard 4 Disability Uganda (OVH4DU), a disability rights activist for women with disabilities in Uganda, and a policymaker in local government, representing women with disabilities. She serves as treasurer of the Council for Persons with Disabilities in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jinja.
