Stop discrimination against the disabled - GFD

Accra, June 22, GNA - Members of Ghana Federation of the Disabled (GFD) on Tuesday called on Ghanaians, individuals, and corporate institutions, to comply with tenets of the Persons with Disability (PWDs) Act, to protect and promote the fundamental human rights of PWDs.

They said all and sundry should ensure that education, employment, social services, and health care, among others were accessible to all persons with disability everywhere in Ghana. "It is important to state that accessible physical infrastructure alone cannot guarantee accessibility to services.

"Attitudinal, institutional, environmental and technological barriers can render services and all other things inaccessible to PWDs in an accessible physical infrastructure, " they said. The call was made in a statement issued in Accra and signed by Ms Rita Kyeremeh Kusi, Executive Director of GFD, to commemorate the fourth anniversary celebration of the National Disability Day on June 23. On June 23, 2006, Parliament enacted the Persons with Disability Act, 715 to protect and promote the fundamental human rights of PWDs. This was in fulfilment of a constitutional provision and its promulgation was hailed by all Ghanaians.

The statement said at the international level, the enactment enhanced the image and human right credentials of Ghana. "Civil Society Organisations and Disabled People's Organisation including GFD in applauding this noble act of the passage of the Act strategically earmarked June 23 - National Day of Disability to create awareness on the rights of PWDs and to intensify their advocacy in promoting the rights of PWDs," it added.

However, they contended that four years after the passage of the law, its implementation was yet to take full effect, as a result the numerous problems and challenges which the Act was meant to address still abounds. "This includes issues such as accessibility to health and education, employment, stigmatisation and discrimination against persons with disability, inaccessibility to most public places as well as inadequate attention to the development of disability sports and other avenues of recreation.

"There is also the lack of research and national statistics on disability issues. These are but a few of the challenges for which the Disability Act was promulgated," the statement said. They reminded government and the public that the 10 year moratorium for the full implementation of Act 715 had been reduced to six now. "There is therefore the need for those government ministries concerned to develop the various Legislative Instruments required to give effect or impetus to the provisions of the PWDs Act 715. It is also the desire of PWDs in Ghana that government would adopt June 23, as the National Day of Disability (NDD) in Ghana and observ es it as one of the Days worthy of annual commemoration," it added.

They called on government to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities without delay, as its serious demonstration of commitment to the cause of PWDs, at the international level.

The statement said ratification of the Convention would not only make it possible for the disability movements in Ghana to make representation to the UN through government, but would also entitle Ghana as a nation to access developmental, technical and financial benefits available to countries which had ratified the Convention. "The Convention, if ratified, would reinforce gaps of the Persons with Disability Act 715," it added.