Uganda's Special Needs

A photo exhibition on the lives of children with disabilities in Uganda

Field uganda dub

Picture by Joris Casaer

Disability is often seen as a curse or witchcraft in Uganda.

This sociological research shows the stigma through the voices of caretakers who fight for rights and respect for their children with disabilities.

The Research

  • About 13% of Ugandan children suffer from a disability according to estimates from Unicef in 2014. Many misconceptions about disability often lead to social stigma and exclusion of these children and their caretakers.
  • In the Ugandan community there is a certain degree to which disability is socially devalued. Therefore socially including a child with special needs is highly complex. It can yield the potential for both benefit and harm. On the one hand, social inclusion can offer the promise for additional social support for caretakers with a child with special needs. On the other hand, social inclusion might also make the caretakers and their child with special needs more vulnerable to stigma.
  • Depending on individual characteristics of the child, the caretaker, and the household, an upward spiral toward visibility in the community might twirl, resulting in more social inclusion. In contrast, a downward spiral toward concealment might happen as well, which reinforces stigma.

The Creative Way

Masquillier uses a photovoice method, visualising her subjects in pictures. Photographer Joris Casaer took portraits of Ugandan families who are raising children with special needs. The families themselves took polaroid pictures of their own household situations. 'Uganda's Special Needs', a photo exhibition, displays a combination of both.

The Public Response

With Uganda Special Needs, Field spread the word inside and outside the academic communities in Belgium, reaching new audiences and inspiring change.

Experience

Field produced an exhibition of this research project at the University of Antwerp, which shared a combination of household portraits and videos taken by photographer Joris Casaer and Polaroid pictures taken by the caretakers themselves as part of the Photovoice methodology. Arkasha Keysers’ interview with Masquillier led to handwritten notes by the researcher accompanied the pictures, as if they were notes from the fieldwork. Together with 11.11.11 and KVG, the exhibition was also accompanied by audio-description.


At the opening of the exhibition, the researcher provided the audience with information about the study. The director of the Angel’s Centre travelled to Belgium to share her vision on care for children with special needs in Uganda and told us about her experiences with the photovoice research project. Videos that were shot during the fieldwork accompanied the talks, portraying stories of children with special needs and their caretakers. As a result of the exhibition, a fundraiser was organized by the European External Action Services in support of the NGO Angel’s Centre, raising more than 2000 euros.

Prizes

Uganda’s Special Needs’ received a “Science Communication Prize 2018” from the Scientific Foundation of the Royal Flemish Academy of Science and Arts. In 2019, the exihibition received the prize Gust Bouwen from the University of Antwerp.

Press

Convinced of the power of the research results and the photo exhibition, and wishing to reach a broader audience, Field’s journalist Arkasha Keysers approached the Belgian media. As a result, we wrote a newspaper article in De Standaard and a series of social media posts for Vranckx en de Nomaden.

The Scientist

Caroline Masquillier, Sociologist at the University of Antwerp, explores the role of households in the social inclusion of children with special needs in Uganda.


For Uganda’s Special Needs, she employed what’s known as a photovoice qualitative research method to collect and share findings. She partnered with Angel’s Centre for Children with Special Needs to conduct her research.

I felt privileged to engage with such warm, inspiring and courageous caretakers. People who fight daily against stigma and misconceptions surrounding disability in Uganda.


It was beautiful to see that those caretakers felt strengthened after our photovoice study to stand up and speak about their children with special needs.

— Caroline Masquillier

Caroline Masquillier, Sociologist at the University of Antwerp, explores the role of households in the social inclusion of children with special needs in Uganda.


For Uganda’s Special Needs, she employed what’s known as a photovoice qualitative research method to collect and share findings. She partnered with Angel’s Centre for Children with Special Needs to conduct her research.

The Creative

Joris Casaer, Photographer, joined the Field team by capturing the lives of children with special needs through video and photography.

Being involved in this project was unique. It moved me both as a person and as a father. I felt as if it was my duty to help give them a voice through photography, to tell their story to so many people out there that still have misconceptions about disabilities. These children are like any other, and even more, often unbiased they look at the world with such joyful eyes. It makes them an inspiration and they gave me a new perspective on life.

— Joris Casaer

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