Physically challenged advocate employment at tollbooths

Cape Coast, Oct. 10, GNA - CECON Organization, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) comprising a group of road accident victims, has appealed to the Government, the Disability Council and other stakeholders to consider employing its members as tollbooth operators since the job was physically less demanding.

He said tollbooth operation was one of the job avenues people living with disabilities (PWDs) could easily manage and advocated that such jobs should be reserved for them.

The plea which was contained in a statement signed by the President of the Organization, Mr Nicholas Nimo, and copied to the GNA on Monday said it was only through such avenues that the PWDs could be profitably engaged, rather than leaving them to take to the streets to beg for alms.

He said in about 95 per cent of road accident cases, it was usually not the fault of the victims but that most of them were left to their fate to fend for themselves, thus making it very difficult for them to survive since their physical capabilities would have been severely impaired. He described as worrisome the discriminatory attitude of some members of the public towards PWDs, saying that given the necessary incentives they would be able to provide for themselves. Mr Nimo regretted that little attention was given to the plight of the disabled and stressed that it was the responsibility of the Government and, for that matter, civil society to ensure that victims of road crashes were integrated into the society and helped to obtain a decent means of earning their livelihood.

He appealed to the media, religious leaders, traditional authorities and all stakeholders to lend support to the advocacy being carried out by PWDs to assert their rights in society.