Barriers Impacting Human Security of Persons with Disabilities in Addis Ababa: Implications for Policy Intervention
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Date
2021-05
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This dissertation argues that indirect and subtle violence by city planners and administrators
poses a range of human security challenges to the everyday experiences of persons living with
disabilities from now (PWDs) in urban environment of Addis Ababa. The objective of this
study was to examine barriers to daily lives of urban inhabitants of PWDs. Qualitative
research approach was used to conduct this investigation. Data were collected through in depth interview with individuals with disabilities (24), government officials and experts (12),
and leaders of associations of disability groups (4) and 7 focus group discussions (FGDs).
Purposive and snowball samplings were participants selection techniques employed to select
potential informants who could share their knowledge and experiences by participating in
interview and FGDs. As a visually impaired person who is working and living in Addis
Ababa, my personal lived experiences and the comments of participants on International
Disability Day (2018 and 2019) were used to crosscheck the information collected by means
of interview and FGDs. Policy and legal documents were used to analyze how far disability
was legally protected and empowered at institutional level. Data was analyzed qualitatively
using thematic method of data analysis. One of the central results of this study is the
realization of the dire situation of urban inhabitants of PWDs because of the poorly built
environment of Addis Ababa. The findings of this study demonstrated that structural violence
manifested through structures of environment hampering accessibility and how PWDs are
socially and economically valued among the larger community. The results of this study have
indicated that the absence of ramps, elevators, audio communications, disability-friendly
vehicles, crossings with marked visual signals, vicious vacancy announcements, and broken
pavements are source of human insecurity of PWDs. The implication of this study is the need
to humanize the physical and social environment of Addis Ababa with the goal of maintaining
the well-being of PWDs. One way of improving the built infrastructure and make it more
friendly to PWDs is to change the attitudes of concerned stakeholders, including policy and
decision makers, legislatures and the society at large, to break the cultural structures which
view PWDs as worthless and to be pitted, not to be supported and empowered with the
intention of enabling them to lead independent lives. Addressing this social factor will ease
the insensitivity of relevant actors to PWDs during planning, design, construction of key
infrastructures and during recruitment.
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Keywords
Barriers, Human Security, Persons with Disabilities, Urban Environment/Addis Ababa, Policy.