Kamusiime, Daniel2024-01-032024-01-032022Kamusiime, Daniel (2022). The Role of Local Government Councils in Emancipating Special Interest Groups: A Case Study of PWDs in Bukimbiri Sub County Kisoro District . Kabale: Kabale University.http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12493/1577The study examined the role of local government councils in emancipating special interest groups. A case study of PWDs in Bukimbiri Sub County Kisoro district. It concentrated on the following research objectives; to examine the role of local government councils in emancipating special interest groups, to establish the challenges facing people with disability, and to establish measures taken by the government towards empowerment of people with disability. The study used a cross-sectional research design. According to Sarantakos (2005), cross-sectional research is designed by taking a cross-section of it at one time. This enabled the researcher to obtain a 'snapshot' of the outcome and the characteristics associated with the population under study, at a specific point in time. The study population consisted of 120 participants including; 50 Persons with Disabilities, 02 sub-county councilors for PWDs, 50 community members in the Bukimbiri sub-county, 10 service providers in the Bukimbiri sub-county, 03 Sub-county technical teams and 05 Non-disabled councilors in Buk:imbiri sub-county. The researcher determined the sample size using the Krejicie and Morgan Table. This means that a population of 190 was represented by a sample size of 127 respondents. The study used both probabilistic and non-probabilistic sampling techniques. Data Collection Methods included a questionnaire method, interview method, and document review. The researcher used both quantitative and qualitative approaches to analyze the data which enabled the researcher to obtain relevant data for the study. The study findings showed the role of local government towards the emancipation of PWDs includes representation in councils, funding by development partners, training and sensitization of the PWDs, putting appropriate administrative structures, policy formulation review and promotion, mobilization of resources, and decentralization to encourage community participation. The findings found that the challenges faced by people with disability include the inability to read and write or illiteracy, lack of mobility, negative attitudes from parents, cultural attitudes towards people with disability, and ignorance of parents/guardians. The measures to the challenges faced by people with disability included physical or environmental accessibility promotion, empowerment, initiating more disability health programs, law and policy awareness, institutional awareness, and improving the working conditions of the PWDs. Based on the findings there are many challenges to PWDs in the study area especially economic challenges the government should create awareness in society about the challenges of PWDs and their rights in general, this should be through media, mass meetings, posters, community education, political and social or spiritual gatherings and also it may be included in school curriculum from primary to university level, this will help people to be aware about value of PWDs their rights and challenges for the whole community to participate in protecting them.en-USAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United Stateshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/RoleLocal Government CouncilsEmancipatingSpecial Interest GroupsPWDsBukimbiri Sub CountyKisoro DistrictThesis