Uganda National Association of the Deaf (UNAD) is a duly registered not-for-profit
organization that represents all the deaf communities in Uganda. UNAD was established
by deaf persons themselves in 1973 as an umbrella organization bringing together all
the different categories of deaf people in Uganda. Since her formation, UNAD has
grown from being a small association to a national one representing Deaf Associations
in the various districts of Uganda.
According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics national census (UBOS, 2014), there were
approximately 1,083,964 Deaf people in Uganda. However, due to the inadequacies in
data collection in addition to the fact that deafness is invisible, UNAD estimates the
deaf population in Uganda to be much more.
The vision of UNAD is “Dignity for every deaf person”.
The mission of UNAD is “Building capacities, promotion of Uganda sign language, and
advocating for the rights of deaf people.
Communication barriers faced by the Deaf persons prevent their integration, full
participation in family, community and enjoyment of human rights entitled to all
members of society. UNAD’s core competence, thus is the development and promotion
of Uganda Sign Language so as to bridge the communication barrier between deaf
people and hearing people.