Interrelationship between family, poverty, and social protection in Uganda: Perspectives of persons with disabilities

Persons with disabilities encounter numerous barriers that prevent them from participating in society on an equal basis with others. They also have limited opportunities and choices and therefore are more likely to have lower educational achievements, poorer health outcomes, lower employment rates, and live in poorer housing conditions than their counterparts without disabilities. Discourse on the need to improve the life of persons with disabilities has not fully explored the relationship between formal and informal social protection when it comes to explaining their living conditions. This chapter explore the life experiences of persons with disabilities in the Kampala Metropolitan Area in Uganda. A qualitative study using in-depth interviews was conducted with 30 participants using a convenient sampling technique to explore participants’ life experiences. As expected, participants in the study area were dissatisfied with their current state of living, but there were limited opportunities to transform the situation. This is because there were no effective safety nets to support vulnerable populations such as persons with disabilities in Uganda. More innovative policies and programs, that will strengthen traditional forms of social support systems, while providing a more comprehensive social protection for the majority of the population, is proposed.