Rosemary Nakuya

I started my career in 2009 with Stanbic Bank, working there for about four and a half years until I joined Diageo as a Learning and Development Manager, tasked with setting up the learning and development department. Just six months later, I was promoted into a HR Business Partner role, which I enjoyed very much and really got me grounded in HR.

I’ve been so fortunate that Diageo has valued and supported me through my personal journey. In 2018, shortly after I gave birth to my son, who’s now five years old, I became ill and was in a coma for three weeks. When I woke up, my entire body had shut down. I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t talk, and to make matters worse, my eyesight had been affected. Luckily, I have a very supportive family – my parents and siblings were all available to support me during a time where I experienced every emotion possible, from shock to denial to anger.

Diageo paid for my entire treatment, including all the support and physiotherapy I needed after I was discharged from the hospital. They prepared the team for my return and provided me with the adjustments and software I needed to ensure I could communicate with people and continue to do my job.

I remember my first day back at work in October 2018 well. My colleagues were apprehensive in terms of knowing how to ‘deal’ with me, and the first few days were tough. I remember sitting quietly in meetings, and a colleague saying, “What happened? You used to be so chatty. Why aren’t you looking at the screen?” and I told her that I couldn’t see it. It turned out the extended team hadn’t been told about my impairment. I remember my mentor telling me that the first thing I should do when I go into a room is tell people I have a visual impairment so they can support me. As soon as I started to do that, things became far easier.

My manager has challenged me to help them to become more inclusive. I joined the Uganda Business Disability Network, and they came on-site to do training for our leadership teams about disability awareness and to ensure the site was physically inclusive of people with disabilities. In March 2021, we commissioned the first internship program for people with disabilities. We carried out sign language training, learnt how to communicate with the individuals, how to work with them and how to support them, and it worked out well. We have the next cohort joining in April of this year.

I tend to worry and second-guess myself, so I would tell my 18-year-old self not to worry, and that everything will be fine. It reminds me of a verse in the Bible – Ecclesiastes, 1:9-10 – “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun”. Don’t worry about it, and don’t sweat the small stuff, everything will be fine.

My personal journey has certainly shaped the way I navigate my career. Developing a disability later in life is challenging. One minute, you’re okay, then suddenly everything changes. It wasn’t easy to learn how to walk again, the physiotherapy was painful and at a certain point, I almost gave up.

I then came across a quote: “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” You have a choice either give up or to move through it. I went through physiotherapy, learned how to walk, and practiced my handwriting. I of course also utilized the support network at work, and found that once you tell people you have a disability, they are likely to be willing to support you. I remember being worried about not being able to drive, and my manager flippantly told me not to worry about it and arranged transport for me to and from work. I was so thankful they offered me such a supportive environment to work in. It was these support networks, alongside support from my family, that helped me along my journey.

The biggest challenge around disability inclusion that is stopping some businesses in Uganda is the focus on the cost of changing infrastructure. Lots of companies have started to adapt their buildings to make them more disability-inclusive, for example by building ramps, adapting doors and light switches, and offering reserved parking spots. The major concern around these changes for some companies is that they are prohibitively expensive. What’s important is that they are reminded that it’s about the intent, and making sure that they are listening to the individual and the adjustments they need rather than carrying out major works perhaps unnecessarily.

In Uganda, as per the last census, people with disabilities made up 12.4% of the population. Of that 12.4%, many have degrees and are highly educated and capable, yet aren’t given the opportunity to showcase what they can do at work. There is a huge workforce of potential here. We should start by giving everyone an equal playing field in terms of employment, irrespective of whether they have a disability or not, and then deal with reasonable adjustments as and when necessary.

The first piece of advice I’d give to any organization when it comes to driving inclusion is to be intentional about it. Speaking about it and not actioning your words doesn’t help, and change must come from the top in terms of outlining the deliverables necessary to create an inclusive workplace. For example, at Diageo, we have a target that almost 3% of all our new hires will be people with disabilities. If it’s not measured, it won’t get done. Be clear about your targets as a company, and what you’re doing to get there.

My second piece of advice would be to seek out non-government organizations that support people with disabilities and can advise on the best strategies and way forward. Light for the World, for example, trained our senior staff on inclusive leadership and our HR teams on inclusive hiring, as well as working with us on our work placement program. You need an expert in disability inclusion to walk the journey with you.