Media Trained on Positive Language for People with Disabilities

Ntungamo: Media personnel have been trained on the right language to use when engaging with people with disabilities.

While addressing journalists during the workshop which was held on September 3, at Ntungamo District headquarters, the Program Assistant for the Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association of Uganda (SHAU) in the western region, Betty Adong Wandela explained that SHAU works with persons with disabilities, especially those with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, by fighting for their rights, training them, and supporting families to help such individuals fit into communities and manage their conditions.

She stressed that the media plays a key role in creating awareness by using respectful language, capturing stories appropriately, and focusing on positive aspects rather than only challenges. Wandela encouraged journalists to highlight the abilities and rights of people with disabilities.

Cue in……….WANDELA…ENG.

A reporter with the Daily Monitor and former aspirant for Ntungamo District MP Perezi Rumanzi, described spina bifida and hydrocephalus as serious health conditions. He noted that almost every day, one out of about 1,000 babies is born with the condition. Some affected children also suffer deficiencies such as lack of iron, which weakens bones.

Rumanzi advised women and girls of childbearing age to take folic acid supplements and eat nutritious foods like greens and liver to reduce the risk of spina bifida. He emphasized that journalists have a duty to sensitize communities about the condition since it permanently affects a child’s health.

Cue in…… Rumanzi…RR.