Department of Community & Disability Studies (CDS)

• The Global Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development: Our services contribute to the overarching principle of ‘’Leave No One Behind’’.
• The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 2018: We exist to “promote, protect, and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities.”

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), 2018, We contribute to the realization of fundamental rights and dignity of all individuals, regardless of disability, and underscore the importance of equal treatment and protection for everyone.

The African Disability Protocol, 2018: We integrate indigenous knowledge and positive cultural values in our services provisions, so as to promote the aspirations of the protocol in providing an African approach to disability human rights and a normative framework for substantive action to improve conditions for people with disabilities in Africa.

The East African Community Policy on Persons with Disabilities, 2012: Our department’s mission, programmes, and services aspire to accelerate the aspirations of the policy in creating an enabling environment for persons with disabilities and facilitating their effective participation in and benefit from development initiative.

The Revised National Policy on Disability in Uganda, 2023: We aspire to ensure the policy’s aspiration which aims to promote inclusion and resilience for persons with disabilities. Our programmes and technical services address bottlenecks and contribute to actionable interventions for realizing the inclusion of persons with visual impairment in Uganda.

Vision

To be a Centre of Academic and Professional Excellence in Innovative and Inclusive Approaches to Inclusive Development in Africa. 

Mission

To provide training, research, innovations, consultancy and community services in disability studies, inclusive community development, rehabilitation, human rights and social justice, as well as influence policy and practice relating to vulnerable populations and communities.

Objectives of the Department

The department strives to achieve the following specific objectives

• To develop graduate, and undergraduate degree programmes in the field of disability studies, rehabilitation, human rights and social justice focused on inclusive community development
• To conduct scientific research in the areas of disability studies, rehabilitation, human rights social justice and inclusive community development that inform and influence practices in the field.
• To develop professional skills enhancement short-courses based on market demands for rehabilitation of people with disabilities and inclusive community development.
• To provide specialist and technical support services in disability studies, rehabilitation, and development partners for quality service provision to people with disabilities.
•  To collaborate with the government, and national and international nongovernmental organizations in planning, and implementation of development programs aimed at improving the well-being of people with disabilities.  
• To create and/or popularize innovations, assistive devices and technologies that appreciate local context and support the rehabilitation of people with disabilities in Uganda.