Disability Mainstreaming Status in Malawi

It was learned through a video that was shared during the forum that the official affiliate of SAFOD in Malawi, that the Federation of the Disability organization on Malawi (FEDOMA) which was founded in 1999, is an umbrella organization of DPOs established to provide a unified voice for all the persons with disabilities.

One of the main achievements was that the federation successfully lobbied Government to enact the Bill on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities in 2012. The Disability Act was preceded by the passing of the National Policy on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, which was also championed by the disability movement in the country, led by FEDOMA.

However, despite having in place the disability policy and legislation, it was noted that challenges of accessibility continue to exist despite issues pertaining to accessibility being addressed in the policy and/or legislative documents.

For this reason, FEDOMA established the Disability Rights Unit project (DRUM) whose one of the main activities was to carry out accessibility audits in several institutions including the Office of the President and Cabinet, schools, and private institutions. Short, medium, and long-term recommendations were given to those institutions that were audited, and failure to comply with the recommendations would eventually call for litigation.

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