Visually impaired university graduates have accused employers of denying them jobs even when they pass interviews.They were speaking at a three-day meeting that was conducted at Masaka Rehabilitation Centre for People with Disabilities. The meeting was convened to discuss issues concerning unemployment among the visually impaired, their role in nation building and the rights and opportunities of people with disabilities. Consolatrice Niyibizi, a graduate of clinical psychology from the National University of Rwanda, says she missed a job opportunity twice not because she was incompetent but she was considered so without being tried.“It happened more than twice, I applied and sat for an exam. I even did interviews but couldn’t get a job, employers think we are unable before they even try us, we have advocated for our rights but in vain, we have laws but they are not working,” said Niyibizi.“We are competent and ready to contribute to the Rwandan development, and the government has invested much money so that we can do so but the employers remain adamant,” she added.In the forum of 52 participants - 20 of them university graduates and the rest are still pursuing university education - mainly discussed ways the public can understand that they are able without basing on their physical disability.Among 20 graduates, they said none of them has got employed though they applied at many places, sat for exams but couldn’t be employed not that they failed but they were considered to be unfit.Jean Marie Vianney Mukeshimana, a student in Kigali Institute of Education says; “we do not also have technology suited to our needs that we can use to compete favorably with our counterparts without disabilities.”Here, Mukeshimana elaborated that when they go for examinations, for instance, they are given the same facilities as the rest.He says the government has done all it can to educate them but the challenge is that no opportunity for them to be employed.“The government has done the best and we are studying, visually impaired people are considered unfit by employers and people in general, but we are competent and we can do our best once we get opportunity,” says MukeshimanaJean Paul Ntibashoboka, a university graduate from the National University of Rwanda, says being a visually impaired has been a challenge for him to get employed.“The first challenge is that we do not have equipment. I was going to sit for an exam but I couldn’t sit because they gave me a pen and a paper to write on and I couldn’t do it, the government should revise the law because we are challenged by people who do not understand us,” he said.Paul Mugambi, a Kenyan visually impaired and employee of Handicap International, listed some of the factors attributed to the continued unemployment of people with disabilities. “Discrimination and lack of awareness among employers are key factors. After my graduation, it was hard to get a job. I decided to join others to advocate for our rights and now things have changed,” said Mugambi, adding that now visually impaired in Kenya are being considered.He encouraged them to keep advocating and never give up. The government has put in place legislation clearly giving people with disabilities advantage, in case there is a tier amongst the candidates competing for a job.We reported last week however that this law is not followed at different workplaces, with PLWAs requesting for government to amend the legislation and put in place employment quotas at different workplaces.
