Make public buildings accessible to the disabled

Ho, Aug 17, GNA- Dr Bashiru I. Koray, a Disability Rights Advocate, on Thursday observed that it was worrying to see new buildings without access ways for the physically challenged springing up in the country. He was addressing a Round Table Discussion on the Implementation of Persons With Disability Act 2006, Act 715 by Stakeholders from various institutions in Ho.

Ghana Federation of the Disabled (GFD), a national cross-disability grouping organized the discussions. Dr Koray said there was the need to sensitise society whose good faith and commitment of government was needed to promote the well being of people with disabilities.

"No matter the laws, if the goodwill of government and individuals is not there, it (the law) would remain an abstract guarantee and a tantalizing mirage," Dr Koray stated. Under the law all new public buildings must be made accessible to people with disabilities and the old ones refurbished with such facilities within 10 years. Dr Koray said policies should focus on bringing out the potentials in people with disabilities. Ms Rita Kyeremaa Kusi, Acting GFD National Coordinator said an estimated 2.1 million people out of a population of 21 million faced various physical disabilities that the Disability Law must be operated to address.

She said views expressed at the discussions, which would be replicated in other parts of the country, would help government and society adopt measures, including the passing of legislative instruments, to sustain the provision in the Act. Ms Comfort Ablormeti, Volta Regional Director at the Department of Women of the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs said the habit of tagging people by their disability instead of calling them by their name should be discouraged.

Mr George Honuvor, a Principal Investigator of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) urged disability groups to come under one umbrella in their dealings with the district assemblies to enable them access monies allocated under the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) for the activities of the disabled. Mr Nathan Ankutse, Volta Regional Coordinator of Special Education of the Ghana Education Service (GES) complained about the lack of facilities for the education of disabled people. He said many special schools, such as those which train the Hearing Impaired at Hohoe were overcrowded.

Mr Barnabas B. Adjin, Volta Regional Director of the Department of Social Welfare called on advocates of the rights of people with disabilities to actively propagate provisions under the law or the "law would become a mere paper". 17 Aug 07