The Executive Director of Action for Inclusive Development, John Majisi, has urged the government of Ghana to scale investment in community-based rehabilitation for People with Disabilities (PWDs).
According to Majisi, the Ghanaian government must provide special schools, wheelchairs, braille for the blind, special teachers and make their mobility easier.
He made the call on the sidelines of a panel discussion to observe the Day of Disability.
The panel, it is understood, focused on the Disability Act 715 of 2006, and challenges of the implementing the Act.
‘PWD’s are part of the community, so they must be part of all sectors of the economy, including education and agriculture, if we are looking at them as part of community development’, News Ghana quoted Majisi as saying.
‘The government must meet specific provisions that address the needs of PWDs so that they can also find themselves as being part and parcel of the normal committee life.
‘They must enjoy family life with their wives and children as well’.
The Act was passed by the Ghanaian Parliament in June 2006 to improve the life of PWDs to enable them to be part of mainstream society.
The law, among other things, provides for unrestricted access to public places and buildings, free health care, employment, education, and transportation.
Ghana also signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities in 2007 and ratified it in 2012 to become the 119th country in the world to do so and the 32nd in Africa.
Local media reports however indicate that public structures continue to be inaccessible to persons with mobility impairment, while educational institutions continue to be constructed without due considerations for PWDs, making access to these structures almost impossible for students with disabilities.
Photo source: News Ghana