Coping with the Unfriendly Working Environment in Public Service Employment in Uganda: Voices of Employees with Visual Impairment

Abstract

Uganda has progressive disability laws that guarantee persons with disabilities a right to employment and a favorable work environment. These laws require employers to provide an inclusive and accessible work environment for employees with disabilities. Whereas there is an increasing attempt to recruit persons with disabilities in public service employment, a favorable working environment for them is lacking and persons with visual impairment are more disadvantaged. The situation of an unfriendly working environment had compelled them to adopt coping mechanisms to work. This paper explores how persons with visual impairment cope with an unfriendly working environment in public service employment. The article originates from my Ph.D. study on access to and inclusion of persons with visual impairment in public service employment in Uganda. The theoretical frameworks underpinning this paper are the human rights standard of equality and non-discrimination, the equity principle of social justice, and the social model of understanding disability