As she cast her vote on July 16 at Kicukiro District, for her preferred candidate to represent persons with disability in the Chamber of Deputies, Claudine Mukarusine was hopeful that the eventual representative will advocate for meaningful change. As a person with disability, Mukarusine knows all too well the importance of inclusion and access to equal opportunities.

"As a young woman with disability, I want to make my contribution towards the change we want to see, through voting for the right representation in parliament," Mukarusine told the New Times after she cast her vote in Kigali, as other members of electoral colleges around the country participated in elections for parliamentary representatives of special interest groups; women, youth, and persons with disabilities.

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Retrogressive attitudes and societal barriers isolate many people with disabilities, robbing them of opportunities such as employment. Mukarusine is hopeful that the challenges facing persons with disability will be addressed at the parliamentary level.

"I expect the chosen candidate to focus on social economic development and advocate for inclusive recruitment so that persons with disabilities can get employment and contribute to the country&039;s development," she said.

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For Mukarusine, it is one thing to have representation in parliament, but it is another to have &039;meaningful' representation.

"I want to stress on meaningful parliamentary representation, where the person is not detached, but fully understands our needs and is empathetic towards our challenges," she said.

In 2022, Rwanda put in place a national policy to ensure that persons with disability are fully included in the society and are part of the country's transformation agenda. Rwanda also has a strong legal framework outlined in the 2007 law relating to protection of disabled persons, in general.

However, as Aimable Irihose, a commissioner in charge of economic affairs in NCPD, Southern Province, says, more needs to be done to bridge the gap between policy and implementation.

"There are many laws that have been passed in favour of persons with disability, but implementation is still a challenge," Irahose told the New Times.

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Citing the law on accessibility for all as an example, Irahose said that, while the law is clear on paper, the reality is different.

"The Rwanda building code of 2019 was passed, but till today, you still find many public spaces that are inaccessible for persons with disabilities," he said.

"We need our parliamentary representative to be a watchdog and ensure that these laws don&039;t just fall through the cracks," he added.