Training On Disability Law And Rights

The Disability Law and Rights Centre (DLRC) started off as a project in 2015 with the support of the Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa (OSIEA). The aim of the project was promoting disability rights through legal education and awareness at the School of Law, Makerere University. As a project, the DLRP hosted by the Public Interest Law Clinic (PILAC) was able to achieve several things. These included: Raising awareness of disability concerns to both students and staff through seminars, trainings, research, public lectures and dialogues, moots and conferences among others, as well as infusing disability issues into existing modules. Under the project, a standalone module/course on disability law and rights was also developed and is awaiting presentation to Senate for approval.

The Project has now evolved into a Centre as a strategy to address the limitations faced by the University in promoting disability rights and to help in advancing the disability rights agenda across the University. The Centre intends to reach out to the different Colleges and Units at the University in its efforts to create awareness and build capacity in the area of disability law and rights, as well as advocacy for disability-friendly approaches in programmes and activities of the University.

The Centre is building on those achievements to expand and roll them out and its awareness activities across the different university colleges and units for the benefit of the whole Makerere University community

One of the activities under the Centre is to conduct capacity building seminars on Disability law and Rights for staff of different colleges at Makerere University. Relatedly, the Centre has also been requested by the Academic Registrar to provide training and sensitization in this area, arising out of a realization that there is a lack of awareness in this area by many in the University community.

1. Objectives of Seminars

The overall objective of the Seminars is to build the capacity of staff at different colleges to enable them effectively integrate and infuse disability rights, concerns and sensitivity  in the modules they teach as well as  in other University operations.  The specific objectives include:

• To enhance the knowledge of staff on practical issues pertaining to disability rights and the law,
• To enhance awareness about the disability rights, challenges and identify possible solutions

1. Participants

The Seminars will draw together several participants, comprising of academic staff from different colleges at Makerere University.

The Seminars will be conducted over three days covering three Colleges per day as per the table below. Each Seminar will be a half day training consisting of presentations by facilitators and interactive sessions between participants during plenary sessions.