Accessibility Audit Tour by Parliament

Accra, Oct. 24, GNA - The Parliamentary Committee on State Enterprise, Social Welfare and Employment has started a three-day tour of selected institutions in Accra and parts of the Eastern Region to examine how accessible the facilities were to Person with Disabilities (PWDs). The tour under a project titled; "Promoting and Protecting the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Ghana, took the team on Tuesday to facilities, including the new Presidential Office Complex at the Flagstaff House, Parliament House, the STC Yard, Kwame Nkrumah Circle Overhead and the Peduase Lodge at Aburi. According to the Committee Chairman, Mr Paul Okoh, it was important that all able-bodies and institutions came to terms with the Disability Law, Act 715, which was passed over a year ago. The Act is aimed at ensuring that PWDs enjoy the rights enshrined in Article 29 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, with a vision to improving their quality of life and mainstreaming PWDs activities. "The Transitional period of the Act makes provision for a 10-year moratorium for compliance with the provisions on access and mobility because of the substantial investment needed to make all existing public infrastructure disability-friendly, he said. Mr Okoh said it was important that government brought to the notice of contractors the disability act so that adequate provision was made for PWDs in the constructional designs. The parliamentarians are carrying out the tour in collaboration with the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) with support from USAID.

At the Presidential Office Complex, it was observed that adequate provision had been made for PWDs in both design and constructional works. Such provision was however absent from the main building housing Parliament. According to Mr Kofi Safo Duodu Director of Development at the Parliament House, such provision could not immediately be carried out at the Parliament House due to the design of the building. He however promised that a ramp would be constructed at the back passage for easy access by person who used the wheel chair, adding, that; "All others would have to be aided when coming to Parliament House for now."

Mr Duodu however, assured the team that the new buildings under construction to be used by the Committees would have in place all the necessary infrastructure for use by PWDs. He named the facilities to include access way for wheelchair users, gadgets for the visually impaired to read and know their direction immediately they entered the building, and the designation of car parks specifically for PWDs in line with the stipulation of the law. At the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, two wheel chair users who accompanied the team, Mr Charles Appiagyei and Mr Jonathan Agbesi, complained about the steepness of the access way saying that "PWDs cannot use it without aid from other persons". They therefore urged government to take a second look at the project and put in a few finishing touches. At the STC yard, the Accra Regional Manager, Paa Cofi Fynn, promised that the needs of PWDs would be taken into account in the next order for buses. He also pledged to designate a car park for PWDs in the coming week. At the Peduase Lodge, the team observed that although provisions had been made for PWDs in the design, constructional works so far was below the acceptable standard in terms of space allocated. The team would visit Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Labadi Beach Hotel, Max Mart, Ghana Prisons Service, and Ministries in the next two days.