<p>Ghana has long been hailed as one of West Africa’s most stable democracies. The country has ratified international human rights treaties and enacted progressive domestic legislation.</p>
<p>Yet for persons with disabilities, the gap between commitment and reality is stark.</p>
<p>Nearly two decades after the Persons with Disability Act (Act 715) was passed to guarantee accessibility, employment equity, and social inclusion, systemic barriers persist. Ghana’s ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) has yet to translate into tangible improvements for citizens with disabilities.</p>
<p>The issue is not the absence of laws—it is inconsistent enforcement. Public buildings, courts, and municipal offices remain largely inaccessible.</p>
<p>Wheelchair users confront stairs without ramps, offices without elevators, and public transportation that cannot accommodate mobility impairments. As one wheelchair user in Accra shared with Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG):</p>
<p><em>&#8220;I have missed important medical appointments and even meetings with local officials because there is no ramp. Every time, I feel like my voice does not matter.&#8221;</em></p>
<p>Exclusion is more than inconvenience—it is disenfranchisement. When citizens cannot access spaces of governance, participation becomes theoretical, and the promise of democracy remains hollow.</p>
<p><strong>Education Without Inclusion</strong></p>
<p>Despite commitments to inclusive education, implementation gaps are profound. Children with disabilities often attend schools lacking trained teachers, assistive learning materials, or communication accommodations. Deaf learners sit in classrooms without sign language interpretation, and students with mobility impairments navigate buildings without ramps or accessible facilities.</p>
<p>A parent recounted:</p>
<p><em>&#8220;My daughter loves school, but every day we climb stairs to her classroom. After months, she started refusing to go. She felt embarrassed in front of the other children.&#8221;</em></p>
<p>Enrollment numbers alone cannot measure equality. True inclusion demands investment in infrastructure, training, and materials. Without these, intergenerational poverty deepens and opportunities remain out of reach.</p>
<p><strong>Economic Marginalization</strong></p>
<p>Employment presents another major barrier. Persons with disabilities face disproportionately high unemployment, even when academically and professionally qualified. Discrimination is often framed as logistical challenges or cost concerns. One visually impaired graduate told HRRG:</p>
<p><em>&#8220;I have the certificates and the skills, but during interviews, they see my white cane and suddenly I am ‘not fit.’ It is exhausting to prove I can do the work.&#8221;</em></p>
<p>This is structural discrimination, not a reflection of ability. Despite talent, systemic barriers prevent full economic participation and independence.</p>
<p><strong>Gendered Vulnerabilities</strong></p>
<p>Women and girls with disabilities face heightened risks of abuse and exploitation. Persons with psychosocial disabilities may be confined in unregulated spiritual or “healing” settings.</p>
<p>A young woman with a physical disability shared:</p>
<p><em>&#8220;People assume I cannot make my own choices, so even decisions about my health and money are taken from me. It feels like I am invisible in my own life.&#8221;</em></p>
<p>Robust protections, monitoring, and survivor-centered justice mechanisms are urgently needed.</p>
<p><strong>Climate Justice and Disability</strong></p>
<p>Climate change adds another layer of inequality. Flooding, extreme heat, and unpredictable rainfall disproportionately affect persons with disabilities. Early warning systems often rely solely on audio alerts, excluding Deaf persons. Evacuation plans rarely account for wheelchair users or those requiring assistive devices. Temporary shelters often lack accessible sanitation.</p>
<p>In rural agricultural areas, climate-induced crop failures worsen poverty for households with disabled members. Disaster preparedness and climate adaptation must include disability considerations to ensure equitable resilience.</p>
<p><strong>Media Representation and Civic Voice</strong></p>
<p>Media narratives often depict disability through charity appeals or “inspirational” storytelling. While well-meaning, such coverage obscures systemic failures. A Deaf advocate explained:</p>
<p>&#8220;I am not just ‘inspirational’ because I use sign language. I want the world to hear what we have to say about policy and rights, not just pity us.&#8221;</p>
<p>Persons with disabilities are rights-holders, not objects of sympathy. Media must interrogate structural inequality and amplify disabled voices in policy discourse and public debate.</p>
<p><strong>A Global Perspective</strong></p>
<p>Ghana’s experience mirrors a broader trend across the Global South, where progressive disability legislation exists alongside weak enforcement. Even in wealthier democracies, ableism persists in employment, digital access, and political participation.</p>
<p>The distinction lies in accountability: where governments enforce laws, allocate resources, and institutionalize accessibility, rights become real; where they do not, rights remain rhetorical.</p>
<p><strong>From Symbolism to Accountability</strong></p>
<p>Disability inclusion cannot be reduced to policy statements or symbolic gestures. It requires enforceable accessibility standards, dedicated budgets for inclusive education, workplace anti-discrimination monitoring, oversight mechanisms to prevent abuse, media reforms, and climate adaptation strategies that account for all abilities. Crucially, persons with disabilities must be central to policymaking—not as token representatives but as architects of reform.</p>
<p><strong>Silenced Twice</strong></p>
<p>In shrinking civic spaces, persons with disabilities face the risk of being “silenced twice.” First, stigma marginalizes them; second, systemic exclusion prevents meaningful participation in media, governance, and public discourse.</p>
<p>Disability justice is democratic justice. As one activist told HRRG:</p>
<p><em>&#8220;Our voices are not less important than anyone else’s. We just need spaces that let us speak and be heard.&#8221;</em></p>
<p>When infrastructure excludes, democracy narrows. When schools marginalize, development stalls. When media misrepresents, accountability weakens.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone wp-image-3043" src="https://humanrightsreporters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/PHOTO-2026-02-21-13-35-30-300x201.jpg" alt="" width="822" height="551" /></p>
<p>Ghana has laws and aligns with international standards—but political will, enforcement, and sustained advocacy are still lacking.</p>
<p>Until these gaps are addressed, the promise of equality will remain aspirational, and disability rights will continue to test the integrity of Ghana’s democracy.</p>
<p> ;</p>
<p>Authored by Dr. Joseph Wemakor</p>
<p><em>The writer is a seasoned journalist, a human rights advocate and Founder &; Executive Director of Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG)</em></p>
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