Okaikoi calls for speedy passage of LI on disability

The Chairman of Ghana National Council on People with Disability (GNCWD), Mr. Andrew Okaikoi, has called on Parliament to pass the Legislative Instrument (LI) that makes it mandatory for property owners to make provisions for people with disability in the country.

According to him, the delays in the passage of the L.I have given the impetuous for estate developers not to make provision for people with disability when constructing their properties across the country.

Mr. Okaikoi made this call at the donation of the state-of–the-art blind canes by a British Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) called Disables Equipment Overseas (DESO) to some hundreds of people with disability at Accra.

He said: “we are into five years of the ten years moratorium and nothing seems to be done because of the delays in the passage of the L.I, on making the provision of disability friendly facilities to the high rise buildings springing up in the city. "

He appealed to Parliament to accelerate the passage of the L.I to enable people with Disability to breathe a sigh of relieve when accessing such high rise buildings in the city.

He said very soon, the ten years moratorium will expire, and people with disability will still battle with the difficulties in accessing public buildings and schools across the country.

He was of the view that, Accra very soon will join cities like New York in the United States of America (USA) where the buildings of high rise edifices are for the beautification of the city.

On her part, Madam Mavis Hyde, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Disability Equipment Overseas said the state-Of–the-art blind cane is a highly sophisticated cane that directs users.

She said the cane has the capacity to direct users and prevent them from falling into drainages.

The cane, she said, has a beeping sound that alerts users when they are heading towards drainages and open holes.

She was quick to add that the cane is locally made and very affordable and helpful to all blind persons in the country.