National Council of Persons with Disabilities: WITH ITS STAKEHOLDERS, NCPD CONDUCTED THE ACCESSIBILITY AUDIT OF ISANGE ONE STOP Centers (IOSC)

National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) in collaboration with Rwanda Organization of Women with Disabilities (UNABU) and other stakeholders organized the assessment of accessibility of Isange One Stop Centers (IOSC) taking place from 21^th - 24^th June 2021 across Isange One Stop Centers. This assessment is jointly exercised in line with joint efforts to implement the commitment of Government of Rwanda on Disability from Global Disability Summit, held in London on July 24, 2018, which states: “By 2020, we will ensure the Isange one-stop centers are accessible to Persons with Disabilities, including the sight and hearing-impaired, and collect and report disability and gender-disaggregated data on the experience of gender based violence”. It is in this context, the following Isange One Stop Centre more than 39 Isange One Stop Centres were assessed by the personnel coming from different institutions, Like, RIB, GMO, NCPD, Humanity and Inclusion, UNABU, MIGEPROF, …

FINDINGS AFTER THE ASSESSMENT

In order to come up with the picture of the IOSC, the discussion focused on knowledge, practices, challenges and gap towards rights of Persons with Disabilities in accessing IOSC services. After the discussion, the following are the findings and suggestions: Few people with disabilities visit IOSC, due to lack of information about IOSC and GBV, isolation and stigma, there is no disaggregated data by gender and disability so that is a barrier of advocating and taking into consideration disaggregated data by gender and disability in all information collection tools. Most of the time PwDs who visit IOSC are the persons with hearing impairment, therefore, no IOSC staff skilled and trained about the sign language.

PHYSICAL ACCESSIBILITY

Many of them have no parking for PwDs, they are no accessible toilets for PwDs, Suggestion box placed at high. In order to remove barriers in all aspects of life it will be good to train the staff in Isange One Stop Centre how Persons with Disabilities are mainstreamed and conducting the annual regular self-assessment.