Institutional and policy issues experienced in the implementation of Botswana's national disability policy

• Date: 01 November 2019
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1951
• Author: Abiodun Marumo Tito Omotoye
• Published date: 01 November 2019

ACADEMIC PAPER

Institutional and policy issues experienced in the

implementation of Botswana's national disability policy

Abiodun Marumo Tito Omotoye

Governance and Administration, Botswana

Institute for Development Policy Analysis,

Gaborone, Botswana

Correspondence

Abiodun Marumo T ito Omotoye, Governance

and Administration, Botswana Institute for

Development Policy Analysis, 134 Tshwene

Drive, BIDPA House, Gaborone International

Finance Park, Gaborone, Botswana.

Email: omotoyem@bidpa.bw

People with disabilities (PWDs) are often subjected to economic and social exclusion.

Despite the Government of Botswana's efforts to uplift marginalised and vulnerable

groups, PWDs remain disenfranchised as a result of social, physical, and legislative

barriers. This paper assesses policy and institutional factors that contribute to and

or hinder the implementation of Botswana's national disability policy. Data were col-

lected using secondary data sources and analysed using thematic analysis. The analy-

sis of determinants of policy impact (ADEPT) approach, which aims to explain and

influence policy development and policy impact implementation with four determi-

nants (goals, obligations, resources, and opportunities), was adopted. The study's find-

ings show that 22 years after its adoption, the National Policy on Care for People

with Disabilities has not resulted in the desired policy outcomes, let alone achieved

its objective of improving the lives of PWDs. Although the policy has the potential

to be an important tool in achieving social inclusion and protecting the rights of

PWDs, implementation gaps remain, essentially limiting its effectiveness.

1|INTRODUCTION

People with disabilities (PWDs) are amongst the poorest and most

marginalised groups in the world (Grobbelaar‐du Plessis & Van

Reenen, 2011). The stigmatisation of PWDs has often resulted in their

isolation from the societies in which they live. According to Elwan

(1999), this exclusion and marginalisation reduce the opportunities

for PWDs to contribute productively to the household and the com-

munity and increase the risk of falling into poverty. Attitudinal and

environmental barriers, such as a lack of adequate or appropriate

transportation, physical inaccessibility, and lack of learning opportuni-

ties, can affect access to education and employment opportunities,

thus reducing avenues for income enhancement as well as social par-

ticipation. These challenges are not unique to Botswana.

Globally, people living with disabilities face persistent discrimina-

tion and exclusion. In response, international bodies such as the

United Nations, World Health Organisation, and independent human

rights organisations have called on national governments to pay

greater attention to improving the living conditions of PWDs. For

instance, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

(UNCRPD) is a legally binding human rights international treaty that

aims to eliminate discrimination against PWDs. This principle ensures

that PWDs enjoy the rights and responsibilities commensurate with

all other citizens within the society in which they live (Lang, Kett,

Groce, & Trani, 2011). Notwithstanding this fundamental underpin-

ning, Botswana has not ratified the convention, but relies on domestic

policies and other international human rights treaties to guide it in

promoting and protecting the rights of its citizens in general.

The National Policy on Care for People with Disabilities (NPCPD)

was promulgated to combat incidences of disability and promote the

quality of life of people living with disabilities. However, the imple-

mentation of the policy has encountered a number of challenges since

its inception in 1996. A revised national disability policy was drafted in

2011, but is yet to be adopted. Both the National Development Plan

11 and National Health Policy of 2011 note the fundamental chal-

lenges (e.g., inadequate access to health care services and economic

opportunities) facing people living with disabilities in Botswana. Given

the objective of the NPCPD and the challenges facing PWDs, there is

a need to identify the successes and failures encountered in its imple-

mentation. Therefore, this paper aims to assess some of the factors

that either hinder and or support the implementation of the NPCPD.

Public policies, such as the NPCPD, provide a broad framework for

Received: 8 March 2019 Accepted: 31 March 2019

DOI: 10.1002/pa.1951

J Public Affairs. 2019;19:e1951.

https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1951

© 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pa 1of10