PWDs calls for urgent implementation of Disability Act

On August 25, 2021, 12:56 PM

The Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled (GSPD) has asked the government to immediately ensure implementation of the Disability Act to make public institutions disability-friendly.

This is to allow persons with disabilities to access essential services provided by public institutions and contribute to national development.

The call comes against the background of findings in a survey, which disclosed that most government institutions in Koforidua are not accessible to persons with disabilities.

Commenting on the situation, the Eastern Regional Coordinator of GSPD, Mr Samuel Agyekum, indicated that PWDs would continue to be marginalised and discriminated against until the Act is implemented.

This is because the current state of most public buildings does not enable PWDs to “function independently and freely to contribute to national development despite their God-given talents and abilities”.

Mr Agyekum lamented that 16 years of not implementing the Act is “a shame that in spite of the existence of the Disability Act, which enjoins public institutions to provide access to PWDs, the challenge still remains.”

He explained that on several occasions, some of their members had complained about the difficulty in accessing the services of these institutions.

“Anytime a person with disability want to access any of these institutions, they have to stay at the ground floor and beg others to inform the officers or place a call to draw their attention,” he lamented.

He said apart from ramps to facilitate the movement of PWDs using wheelchairs; they face the challenge of the invasion of the privacy of persons with disabilities since they had to tell their stories to others to convey their messages to the officer in charge.

He also complained about the huge barrier regarding employment, as many employees whose offices are located in storey buildings refused to employ them, even when they have requisite qualifications.

Most government institutions in Koforidua are not accessible PWDs

A survey conducted by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) under the “mobilising media to fight COVID-19” project, being implemented by the Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) and the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), has disclosed that most government institutions are not disability friendly.

The survey found that the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and the Department of Social Welfare were all located on storey buildings without ramps, making access difficult.

Other public institutions that were not user-friendly to PWDs were the New Juaben South Office of the Electoral Commission (EC) and the Attorney General’s Department.

Some state media organisations, including the Graphic Communications Group, the Ghanaian Times and the Ghana News Agency, are all on storey buildings without PWDs access.

They are located on storey buildings without ramps or elevators to provide access for PWDs using wheelchairs or other aids.

The study also observed that for these public buildings, in cases where ramps have been provided, it only gave access to the first floor of the building.

Implication

Due to this situation, persons with mobility disabilities resort to benevolent individuals they come across for support. Each time they would want to transact business at the floors, other than the first floors, which have ramps.

This implies that PWDs could not access the services of the CHRAJ, for instance, a mandated body to deal with human rights issues including the non-maintenance of children, domestic abuse and violence, inhuman treatments and administrative abuses at workplaces.

The survey also highlighted slippery tiles, posing a danger to those using wheelchairs, clutches and callipers, and even the blind.

This is happening despite provisions in the Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715), which makes it mandatory for all buildings to which the public has access to disability-friendly facilities to make them accessible to PWDs.

The survey noted that “even though all these state institutions were occupying rented office spaces built many years ago, their failure to provide access to these categories of citizens, contravenes the provision of the Disability Act.

The Act, which was passed in 2006, gave a 10-years moratorium for the implementation to enable all institutions to adjust to the set demands of the Act to suit the needs of PWDs.

Meanwhile, some officials of the above institutions told GNA on anonymity that they were tenants in the facilities, which had been built long ago and therefore had no provisions for PWDs.

Others said they were renting the facilities, therefore, had no choice to do any alterations unless the law was enforced to compel institutions to make those provisions.

Story By Francis Ntow