Harunah Damba completed an exchange on the Professional Fellows Program on Inclusive Civic Engagement in the United States. Harunah is passionate about bridging information gaps for individuals with disabilities seeking international opportunities. They aim to provide individuals with disabilities from Uganda with the necessary information to pursue studies in the United States.
Introduce yourself. Share information on your disability, and your academic/career interests.
My name is Harunah Damba. I was born and raised in Kampala in Uganda. I have a hearing disability and strongly identify with the disabled community. My academic background is in laboratory medicine, and I am deeply passionate about advancing disability inclusion in the fields of health, employment, climate, and education. I am the founder and chairperson of United Persons with Disabilities, a Disabled People’s Organization (DPO) in Bweyogerere Parish in Uganda, committed to promoting meaningful disability inclusion through training and advocacy initiatives within the community.
Describe your international education experience.
One of my profound international educational experiences was my participation in the Professional Fellows Program on Inclusive Civic Engagement (PFP) between October and November 2022. The PFP promotes disability inclusion by recruiting and training mid-career professionals from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia, equipping them with skills and best practices in the United States over a five-week period.
I joined the program at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to recede, a period characterized by efforts to rebuild severely disrupted economies. My primary goal was to study and understand strategies that could be used to support the recovery of businesses owned and led by people with disabilities. I was particularly interested in exploring measures that could help build a supportive ecosystem resilient to setbacks such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
During my fellowship, I was placed at the Sonoran University Center for Excellence in Disabilities (Sonoran UCEDD) at the University of Arizona, under the mentorship of Dr. Wendy Parent-Johnson, who at the time was the Executive Director of the Center and a distinguished professor in the Department of Counseling and Special Education at the University of Arizona.
This placement provided me with a wide array of opportunities to enhance my skills and deepen my experience in disability inclusion. I gained a clearer understanding of how systems impact people with disabilities and how individuals with disabilities can serve as powerful catalysts for change, especially in times of setbacks such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
I was fortunate to come close to some truly inspiring and supportive individuals, including professors, parents, and people with lived experience of disability who shared firsthand accounts of their disability advocacy efforts and strategies to promote disability inclusion in the U.S. From this experience, I learned that no challenge is insurmountable when met with determination. True community inclusion can only be achieved when everyone, regardless of their limitations, is empowered to contribute. And when individuals with disabilities are cast aside, their hopes, self-esteem, and talents evaporate, and their dreams vanish.
At the Sonoran UCEDD, I engaged in a variety of academic, cultural, and social bonding activities. I was a contributing member of a series of virtual employment roundtables, which convene various stakeholders, including people with disabilities, to learn more about disability inclusion in employment and explore necessary adjustments needed to make employment accessible to all. Through this space, I came to learn about the Employment First philosophy, which later I learned began with a small group of volunteers in Arizona. This philosophy asserts that no one is too disabled to work; everyone can work. It advocates for adjustments in support structures, interview questions, and resources to make employment a reality for all, including individuals with the most significant disabilities.
As Dr. Parent-Johnson always put it: ‘If we’re looking at employment, then our question is NOT, “Can they work?” but rather, “What do they want to do?” Then, we can start looking at what is needed to help people with disabilities find work and support them on their key transition to employment,’ I learned that true community inclusion would necessitate a shift in our mindset towards supporting the full integration of people with disabilities into all aspects of community life, including employment. These lessons profoundly shaped my thinking and vision for championing disability inclusion in Uganda.
Coming back from the fellowship, I felt greatly energized and fully committed to advancing the rights and opportunities of the disabled community in Uganda. I was determined to apply the best practice examples, knowledge, skills, and lessons I had learned to effect meaningful change in my community. To this end, I founded the Twezimbe Uganda Graduates with Disabilities Savings and Credit Cooperative Organization (SACCO). Through this platform, members come together to pool resources, support one another, and strengthen their businesses. The cooperative has provided an invaluable opportunity for members to build a supportive social network to withstand unforeseen challenges, save money, borrow, and invest their savings in impactful self-employment ventures.
We have successfully hosted outbound training sessions for disability leaders in Uganda in 2023, benefiting over 50 participants. We then launched the “Journeys to Inclusion” campaign, which allowed us to unite the various connections made in the U.S. into a dynamic learning and supportive community. This initiative has provided opportunities to learn from leading disability advocates affiliated with premier academic and non-academic institutions, including Harvard University, the University of Arizona, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the World Institute on Disability. Currently, we offer an Employment-First Policy and Practice course under the collective title “Expanding Employment Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities in Rural, Indigenous, and Under-Resourced Communities: Lessons Learned in a Global Context.” This course has so far attracted over 150 participants from 15 countries in Africa, with 10 U.S.-based professors and expert advocates providing various forms of support, including lecturing, mentoring, and sharing valuable resources. These initiatives are growing, and in five years, they will likely support hundreds to thousands of people under my leadership.
Having joined the Professional Fellows Program on Inclusive Civic Engagement at such a critical moment, following the COVID-19 pandemic, it was truly a game-changer for me. It provided innumerable opportunities to network, learn from distinguished individuals, and shape my plans, strategies, and progressive thinking around disability inclusion in my community. It was such a profound experience that will continue to resonate for many years to come.
What was the biggest challenge that you encountered?
One of the greatest challenges I encountered was the weather. Being from Uganda, a country located at a relatively low altitude with a generally warm climate, I found the persistent cold weather somewhat challenging. However, after a few days, I was able to adapt.
Describe your top three gains from your exchange experience.
One of the most valuable gains from my exchange experience was the opportunity to build a diverse and dynamic professional network. I connected with leaders, practitioners, and self-advocates in the field of disability employment whose mentorship and collaboration have significantly shaped and strengthened my disability inclusion work in Uganda. Through these connections, I was able to integrate global best practices into local programming and launch major initiatives, including the Twezimbe Project for Inclusion, the Journeys to Inclusion Campaign, and the Employment-First Policy and Practice Course.
My second top gain from the fellowship was the opportunity to hone my skills in communication and leadership. I engaged in meetings, presentations, and one-on-one interactions, which refined my public speaking and interpersonal communication abilities. Working closely with Dr. Wendy Parent-Johnson, my host mentor in an office setting, also sharpened my project planning and team coordination skills, competencies that I have since applied to my work in Uganda.
My third gain was the exposure to new systems and cultural contexts that significantly shifted my perspective on how people see, interpret, and respond to the problems we face. I gained a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by people with disabilities, which inspired me to think more in a long-term sustainable way about how to address these barriers. This broader lens encouraged me to adopt more strategic thinking and creative approaches to tackling persistent barriers, giving rise to new initiatives I have since implemented in collaboration with my mentor, Dr. Parent-Johnson.
Is there anything about your exchange experience that you would have done differently?
If I were to do anything differently, I would have worked more closely with my mentor to engage local disability organizations and peers in participatory action research and to document our work through journaling, blogging, or video logs. While the fellowship design was deeply enriching, I now realize that incorporating a participatory research component would have further enhanced my personal growth, strengthened my capacity for cross-cultural collaboration, and improved my ability to share meaningful insights with both local and international communities.
How did your disability impact or not impact your experience? Did you have to request any support, or take any steps to manage your disability while abroad?
I have a profound hearing loss, which can make communication challenging, especially in unfamiliar environments. To manage this, I requested specific accommodations in advance, including a sign language interpreter who traveled with me, as well as a communication device that converted audio to text. The device not only helped me follow conversations but also supported me in navigating different accents and unfamiliar speech patterns, especially during social bonding. While my disability required some additional coordination, it did not hinder my ability to participate meaningfully or successfully.
