Ugandan President Travels with Sign Language Interpreter

By Kay Schriner (kays@comp.uark.edu)
 

New Vision, a Ugandan newspaper, reports that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is traveling with a sign language interpreter to "cater for the deaf" during his campaign to pass a referendum concerning political systems in Uganda.

Ugandan voters will soon be deciding whether to adopt a multiparty system, or to continue the "Movement System" in which representation is based on interest groups. The election is scheduled for June 29, 2000.

Mrs. Florence Nayiga Sekabiro, the minister for disability and elderly affairs, is quoted as saying the "The Movement Secretariat saw it necessary to have a sign interpreter for the President during his campaign so that we don't lose votes from the disabled and deaf people."

New Vision also reports that Nayiga feels the Movement government has been good for people with disabilities by allocating them seats in the national Parliament and on district councils. The report states that people with disabilities "had earlier complained of having been marginalized by the lack of civic education for them" before elections.

For more information on Ugandan events, see www.newvision.co.ug.