In addition, the policies that have been adopted in favour of the disabled have been paralysed by poor and halting implementation, while fundamentals such as data and funding, remain grossly inadequate. According to the study, disabled people in Botswana suffer from violations around physical access to buildings and transport, access to education, health services, employment, information and ICTS, as well as political participation.
Awareness on disability rights is now among the disabled and the general public alike, while probative efforts by well-meaning institutions and agencies have often been undone by duplication and poor coordination. Essentially, the disabled in Botswana suffer exclusion, discrimination and stigmatisation and the disabled movement is weak, hindering efforts to advocate for their rights. There is no specific legislation to protect the rights of the disabled and this is worsened by the fact that Botswana is yet to sign the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN-CRPD), six years after it came into effect. Clearly, a lot has to be done to lift the disabled to an equal footing with their fellow citizens.
