The Inclusive Family Alliance is urging government and policymakers to prioritise the welfare of caregivers and families of persons with disabilities, as Ghana observes National Disability Day on June 23.
The Alliance is also calling for the swift passage of the re-enacted Persons with Disabilities Bill, stressing that disability inclusion efforts cannot be effective without structured support for those who provide daily care.
In a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency, the organisation emphasised that families remain the primary source of care, emotional support, rehabilitation, and advocacy for persons living with disabilities, yet their challenges are often underrepresented in national policy discussions.
It noted that caregivers—particularly parents of children with cerebral palsy and other developmental conditions—continue to shoulder heavy physical, emotional, financial, and social burdens with limited institutional assistance.
The Alliance argued that strengthening disability inclusion must go beyond supporting persons with disabilities alone to also address the needs of their caregivers, who play a central role in sustaining care and wellbeing.
It outlined key advocacy priorities, including full enforcement of disability-related laws, recognition of caregivers as key stakeholders in policy design, and the introduction of targeted interventions such as mental health support, respite care, inclusive education, improved access to healthcare and rehabilitation, social protection, and economic empowerment for families.
Founder and Executive Director of the Alliance, Mrs Hannah Awadzi, who is also a parent of a child with cerebral palsy, stressed that effective disability policy must reflect the realities of both individuals and their caregivers.
“Families and caregivers are not peripheral to the disability conversation; they are central to it,” she said, adding that national systems must evolve to ensure both persons with disabilities and their caregivers are supported to thrive.
National Disability Day, observed annually on June 23, commemorates the passage of Ghana’s Persons with Disability Act (Act 715) in 2006 and highlights the ongoing need to strengthen inclusion and accessibility frameworks across the country.
