Mariam Aziz: A voice for people with disabilities in Ghana

Mariam Aziz, a final-year student at the University of Ghana and a sign language interpreter, believes it is time to reset the course of Ghana’s future. Through her NGO, AIM Trust Foundation, she has gained unique insights into the lives and challenges faced by persons living with disabilities, inspiring her to advocate for greater inclusion and empowerment.

Aziz is passionate about ensuring that every Ghanaian, especially those with disabilities, has access to policies that improve their quality of life. She calls on Ghanaians to carefully consider leaders who are committed to addressing the needs of people with disabilities in the upcoming 2024 elections. She emphasizes the need for policies that promote equity, accessibility, and opportunities for those who are often left out of national conversations.

Reflecting on her personal journey, Aziz shared, "Who would have thought that being born to parents with hearing impairment would be a blessing in disguise?" From infancy, she learned to live, love, and learn with people with disabilities. "Sign language is a gift I inherited from my parents. Growing up as a child, sign language was the only language I knew, as both my parents are hearing impaired. So sign language is my first official language, and verbal communication is my second language."

Her commitment to advocating for people with disabilities has seen her collaborate with influential personalities, including former President John Mahama and former First Lady Lordina Mahama, who she credits for supporting disability rights. "Life is full of uncertainties, but being born to parents with hearing impairment has positively impacted my life. I’ve had the opportunity to meet and work with great personalities, including former President John Mahama and former First Lady Lordina Mahama, who are equally fighting for the rights of people with disabilities. I would say my second family has always been people living with disabilities."

"As a child growing up, I always attended most of their meetings with my parents and got involved as a sign language interpreter. This gave me the opportunity to know first-hand some of their prevailing problems and challenges, which never got addressed by civil society organisations and the government," she said. "So when the NDC met me at one of their functions and brought me on board as their sign language interpreter, I knew I now had a bigger platform to help advocate for my second family."

Speaking on the challenges people with disabilities face, Aziz explained, "It is a shame that people always assume people with disabilities are beggars." She emphasized they are resourceful and hardworking. "I would say stigmatisation is the greatest challenge disabled people face individually and as a group. Interview some of the leaders of the NDC disabled desk, and you will be amazed at how educated they are."

Aziz highlighted the pervasive stigmatisation as one of the greatest challenges facing people with disabilities. "Many people in Ghana think when someone is disabled, it means that person lacks education, but that is false. They are equally educated and can hold any office when given the opportunity. I would like to praise His Excellency John Mahama for advocating and setting up an Office for the Disabled at the NDC Head Office."

Aziz believes that former President John Mahama has the interests of people with disabilities at heart. "It is no surprise that NDC's John Mahama, who is seeking a second opportunity as president, is a great leader and wants to empower disabled persons."

Aziz also reflected on her involvement in politics, saying, "First of all, I stand to be corrected, but based on experience, I would say the NDC, as a political party, is the only one that cares most about disabled people. Who introduced sign language into our political campaigns? I was 14 years of age when I joined the NDC on their campaign platforms."

"To the best of my knowledge, the NDC is the only political party in Ghana with a disability desk at their party head office, and this office is being run by persons with disabilities. You need to visit this office to see how well-resourced it is," she noted. "Currently, the NDC disability desk has over 200,000 active members and counting, and there is no better way to get physically challenged persons into active politics than giving them a chance to operate."

Aziz also cited past initiatives, recalling, "In 2013, for the first time in Ghana’s constitutional governance, His Excellency John Mahama took a bold step to appoint a physically challenged person to head a Ministry: the Ministry of Chieftaincy was headed by Dr. Henry Seidu."

Looking to the future, she is hopeful that more inclusive policies will be implemented. "The Resetting Ghana Agenda, God willing, shall be the year for persons living with disabilities. The policies are set to ensure more persons with disabilities partake in active politics."

"The free tertiary education for persons living with disabilities will produce more graduates, and this will go a long way to solving the issue of stigmatisation in our public sphere," Aziz explained. "It will also encourage persons with disabilities to demand equity in all sectors of life. Education, I believe, is the first step to elevating one’s standard of life."

Aziz also expressed optimism about future opportunities for disabled persons, highlighting that "the policies highlight a deliberate effort by His Excellency John Mahama’s administration to create more jobs for physically challenged persons through skill training."

She also noted plans to support sports for physically challenged individuals. "The sports policy shall also elevate physically challenged sports and give it the necessary honour and support it deserves, preventing the recent fiasco that occurred in the just-ended African Para Games."

Aziz concluded by reiterating her belief in education as a tool for transformation, noting that former President Mahama's government would provide free tertiary education for all PWDs, ensuring they have equitable access to education without barriers. She also praised plans to partner with various stakeholders to establish Tertiary Endowment Funds to support students in public tertiary universities.