A team of research students from the University of Exeter, Makerere University, and the Norwegian University of Life doing a course on Disability, Social Justice, and Climate Resilient Development paid a courtesy visit to NUDIPU. From a joint field visit, the team found that there is a great need to empower persons with disabilities to deal with climate change. However, there is a need for this backed up by research on how this can be enrolled.

NUDIPU and the team were able to support and participate in field engagements in Kiboga District on how climate change affects persons with disabilities and the nature of the existing early warning systems.

We were able to engage with Kiboga District officials, district disability leadership, and selected farmers with disabilities.

What was discovered is that there are no early warning systems for persons with disabilities, there are challenges with climate budget trucking in favor of Persons with Disabilities, gaps in disability inclusion by district officials in climate change mitigation and adaptation in favor of Persons with Disabilities, limited consultation by the district officials among persons with disabilities in Disability inclusion in climate change adaptation, etc.

It should be noted that for us to have resilient communities and for climate justice to prevail, persons with disabilities must be at the center of climate adaptation.

In addition, NUDIPU trained Disability Rights Fund grantees in disaster risk reduction. The pinch of disasters can be felt so deeply. Disasters haven’t been exceptional to persons with disabilities. Therefore, they must be involved in disaster risk reduction & be part of the mitigation measures.