Abstract:
The main purpose of this study was to explore the challenges of marriage among persons with
disabilities in Amhara Regional State, Wegera Wereda. The data was collected from persons with
disabilities,their families and care givers through semi structured interview and focus group
discussions. Fifteen persons with disabilities and ninefamily members and caregivers were
selected by purposive sampling technique. Hence, as persons with visual impairment and and
physical impairment meet the criterias of the researcher that those are aged to marry, eight persons
with visual imparment and seven persons with visual imparets were selected. The collected data
were analyzed by using thematic analysis techniques. In doing so, procedures including
organizing, reading the transcribed data, coding, developing themes, representing and reporting
themes, and finally interpreting meanings of findings were practiced. The findings of the study
reveal that persons with disabilities face varieties of problems when they want to marry.
Accordingly, economical, attitudinal, environmental and educational challenges were major
challenges for persons with disabilities. In addition, the data shows that females were more
challenged than males with disabilities because of poor expectation of communities and having
high responsibilities of child rearing and other responsibilities at home. In order to overcome
marriage related challenges, those persons with disabilities practiced their on coping mechanism
like building good relationships with societies, accepting diversity and asking for support from
families and others as any human beings seeks such support. The study finding implicates that
community’s misunderstanding and low expectation towards persons with disabilities affects their
participation in marriage. Therefore, the stake holders like social affairs and others such as experts
in persons with special needs should give awareness raising trainings for communities and those
persons with disabilities for the purpose of creating social inclusion and eliminating challenges to
marriage of persons with disabilities.