Seline Achieng’ is changing how Kenya sees disability, one child, one family and one community at a time.
By addressing exclusion, discrimination and the information gaps affecting persons with disabilities and their families, she is challenging long-held misconceptions and helping build a more inclusive society.
Through her work, children with disabilities are learning to recognise their potential, while parents are gaining the knowledge they need to advocate for their children’s rights with confidence.
Her passion is rooted in personal experience. At the age of six, she developed a disability in her right leg after missing a polio vaccination.
"Her passion is rooted in personal experience. At the age of six, she developed a disability in her right leg after missing a polio vaccination."
Growing up in Nairobi’s Kaloleni estate, she struggled with self-stigma, blamed her mother for her condition and battled depression as discrimination and isolation took a toll.
Counselling in 2015 marked a turning point, helping her heal emotionally, reconcile with her family and rediscover her sense of purpose.
Rather than allowing her circumstances to define her future, she transformed her pain into advocacy. In 2023, she founded Empowered Women with Disability, a community-based organisation based in Dagoreti, Nairobi, that works to bridge the information gap surrounding disability. The team visits schools to educate both disabled and non-disabled learners, breaking stereotypes early and nurturing a generation that embraces inclusion rather than difference.
Recognising that many parents also lacked information, the organisation expanded its outreach to hospitals, therapy centres and community groups, guiding families through disability registration, available services and their legal rights.
The result is growing awareness, greater inclusion of persons with disabilities in public life, and more schools investing in accessibility, from ramps and wider doorways to wheelchair-accessible toilets.
–Lynet Igadwah