Under the programme of the students in research with CRED, this time students have explored how climate change affects people with disabilities in Kiboga District, Uganda – and how education, inclusion and participation can contribute to more climate resilient development.
The research was carried out as part of the students’ work on climate change, social justice and climate-resilient development. During fieldwork in Kiboga, the students interviewed teachers, school leaders, local authorities, people with disabilities, traders and other local stakeholders.
The studies show how climate change does not affect everyone equally. For people who already face barriers related to poverty, education, accessibility and participation, climate change can deepen existing inequalities.
When climate change amplifies existing inequalities
Kiboga is a rural district in central Uganda where agriculture is an important source of both income and food. Changes in rainfall patterns, longer periods of drought and flooding are creating growing challenges for communities that depend on rain-fed agriculture.
The students found that the consequences of climate change extend far beyond agriculture itself. Poor harvests can lead to food shortages, reduced incomes and financial pressure on families and institutions.
This became particularly clear when the students visited a school in Kiboga that is the only school in the district offering specialised education for children with hearing and visual impairments. The school director explained that a poor harvest had resulted in food shortages for the students. In response, he had started growing vegetables on the school grounds to supplement the school’s food supply.
The example shows how climate change, poverty, education and disability are interconnected. When families experience financial difficulties because of poor harvests, it becomes harder to pay school fees, transportation costs and other expenses. For children with disabilities, who often have fewer educational opportunities, the consequences can be particularly severe.
Hearing disabilities and invisible barriers
One of the student studies specifically examined how people with hearing disabilities are included in climate change planning and decision-making in Kiboga.
The study shows that people with hearing disabilities face several barriers when climate and community information is communicated. Weather information, early warnings about extreme weather and public meetings are often communicated through speech, radio or verbal meetings, without sign-language interpretation or other accessible alternatives.
As a result, people with hearing disabilities may be physically present in their communities while still lacking access to the same information or opportunities to participate in decision-making.
The students also found that limited participation does not necessarily reflect a lack of interest. Several participants expressed a desire to take part in policymaking and awareness-raising activities if they were given the opportunity.
One participant summed up the situation by saying: “we don’t go where we are not invited.”
The findings therefore point to an important distinction between lack of interest and lack of access. When people are repeatedly not invited or are unable to participate, exclusion can eventually become self-reinforcing.
Education as a key to climate-resilient development
The second student study looked more broadly at the connections between education, disability and climate change in Kiboga.
The school visited by the students has only two specialised teachers – one supporting students with visual impairments and one supporting students with hearing disabilities. The teachers work under significant resource and capacity constraints while trying to provide students with the support they need.
For many families, the distance to the school is also a significant barrier. The lack of public transportation and the costs of sending children to a school with specialised services make education difficult to access, particularly for families with limited financial resources.
At the same time, the study shows that education can be an important pathway towards greater participation and economic opportunities. Strong performance in national examinations can, for example, provide access to university scholarships and opportunities for further education and employment.
The students therefore point to a gap between formal commitments to inclusion and actual accessibility. Inclusive initiatives and committed teachers exist, but limited resources, transportation, assistive technologies and specialised staff restrict the extent to which inclusion can be achieved in practice.
From vulnerability to participation
Both student studies point to the fact that people with disabilities are often primarily described as vulnerable groups. But the research also highlights the importance of seeing them as active participants in societal development.
Climate-resilient development is therefore not only about protecting people from drought, flooding or other climate-related hazards. It is also about removing the social and institutional barriers that make some groups more exposed and vulnerable than others.
For people with hearing disabilities, this can mean access to sign-language interpretation, written information, captioning and visual warning systems. It also means ensuring that people with disabilities and the organisations representing them have a genuine place in local decision-making processes.
At the same time, the experience of the school in Kiboga shows that climate resilience can also emerge through local initiative, care and cooperation. The school director’s vegetable garden is a concrete example of how local actors develop solutions when institutional resources are insufficient. The students connect this to an understanding of climate resilience in which relationships, care and collective action are central.
A broader understanding of climate resilient development
Taken together, the student projects from Kiboga show that climate change cannot be understood as an isolated environmental problem.
Poor harvests can lead to food shortages. Food shortages can affect household economies and school resources. Economic difficulties can make education less accessible. Limited access to education can, in turn, reduce opportunities for employment, information and participation in society.
For people with disabilities, these challenges can be further compounded.
The students’ research therefore shows how climate change, education, disability and social justice are deeply interconnected. If development is to be climate resilient, the social structures that create inequality and exclusion must also be addressed.