Deaf Blind Convention

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THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA

THE MEDIA BRIEF BY HON. SULAIMAN KYEBAKOZE MADADA ON THE 9th HELEN KELLER WORLD CONFERENCE AT THE UGANDA MEDIA CENTER 25TH AUGUST 2009

The National Association of the Deaf blind in Uganda (NADBU) in conjunction with the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development will be hosting the 9th Helen Keller World Conference here in Uganda between 22nd – 27th, October 2009 at Speak Resort Munyonyo. This will be the first conference to be held on the African continent


Helen Keller World Conference is an international event held after every five years. It was last held in Finland in 2005. After the one in Uganda this year, the subsequent one will be in Japan in 2014.
The conference is used as a platform for discussing issues concerning deafblindness as a critical agenda in development and human rights.

Helen Keller (June 27, 1880–June 1, 1968) was an American author, activist, lecturer and a poet. She was the first deafblind person to graduate from college. The conference is held every after five years to commemorate the work she did for persons with deafblindness and PWDs in general.

National Association of the Deafblind in Uganda–NADBU in conjunction with the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development is privileged to be hosting this forthcoming 9th Helen Keller World Conference which is to be held together with the 3rd General Assembly of World Federation of the Deaf blind in Uganda (WFDB) and the Founding General Assembly of African Federation of the Deafblind in Kampala in October, 2009.

These three events are going to lay a platform for mainstreaming issues of persons with deafblindness and PWDs in general in development programs. These are historic events for the Government of Uganda, NADBU and the disability fraternity. Uganda is the first African country to host these two great events in the world.
Conference theme: “Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; changing the lives of persons with deaf blindness”.

Governments Mandate: The above theme is within the mandate and aspirations of the Government of Uganda on the matters of disability in this country. The government has already demonstrated its commitment to such aspirations by not only enacting the PWDs Act of 2006 and putting in National disability policy but also ratifying the convention on Rights of Persons with Disability. Government is further in the process of finalising the Policy guidelines and the National Programme Plan of action on Disability. With these legal and planning frameworks in place, it’s our conviction that the lives of PWDs including the Deaf blind will be changed for the better.

Government of Uganda is also committed to ensuring that the rights of PWDs is promoted and protected including the tactile communication for the Deaf blind.
Expected Guest of Honour: H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni
Plenary Speakers: UN Special Rapporteur on Disability, Uganda Government Representatives, President of World Federation of the Deafblind, Uganda Disability Fraternity and others from the international deafblind fora.

Expected Participants: 400 participants from all over the World
Host: National Association of the Deafblind in Uganda (NADBU) in conjunction with the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.

Objectives:
To provide opportunities for persons with deafblindness, governments and stakeholders from different countries to deliberate on how they can use The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) to improve the conditions of living as reflected in the theme of the Conference “changing the lives of persons with deafblindness”.
Outcomes:
Persons with Deafblindness will gain knowledge and best practices on how to use the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to demand for their rights and bring positive change in their lives.
Persons with Deafblindness from Africa will hold a founding general assembly and form The African Federation of the Deafblind – a continental unified voice for all persons with Deafblindness in Africa.

Stakeholders and the general public will get to know about deafblindness as a unique disability and its effect on the population and are willing to address it through a massive immunization campaign.
NADBU in conjunction with the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development will translate the concept “Deafblindness” in the four major local languages for public use so that the public gets to understand deafblindness as a separate disability –separate from being just blind and being just deaf – with different social and physical barrier limiting some members of the society in realizing their rights and living meaningful and decent lives.

The media will be brought on board as a new strategic partner in promoting the rights of the deafblind persons in Uganda.

For God and my Country
Contacts:

The Commissioner for Disability and the Elderly
Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development
Simbamanyo House
Plot 2 Lumumba Avenue
P.O Box 7136 Kampala
Tel: 0414-
Mob. Tel. 0772593920
Email: [email protected]

The National Association of the Deafblind in Uganda (NADBU)
Plot 56 Kanjokya Street – Kamwokya,
P. O. Box 16111 Wandegeya, Kampala
Uganda
Tel: 256-0312 276646
Mob: 256-772-856605
Email: [email protected]
Web: www. deafblinduganda.org
World Federation of the Deafblind in Uganda (WFDB)
Lex Grandia, Snehvidevej 13, DK 9400 Noerresundby, Denmark
Phone: +45 98 19 20 99
Fax: +45 98 19 20 57
e-mail: [email protected]
[email protected]
website: www.wfdb.org