Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the Volta Region are mobilising for a protest over what they describe as the failure of successive governments to fully enforce the Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715).
The group says nearly two decades after the legislation was enacted to protect the rights of PWDs, many of its key provisions remain largely unimplemented, leaving persons with disabilities facing barriers to public services, education, transportation and employment.
The proposed demonstration is being organised to demand concrete action from government and the relevant state institutions to enforce the law.
The Persons with Disability Act provided a 10-year transition period for existing public buildings and service providers to modify their facilities to make them accessible to PWDs. That deadline expired in 2016.
However, disability advocates say many public facilities remain inaccessible to wheelchair users and persons with visual impairments.
Section 6 of the Act requires owners or occupiers of public places to provide appropriate accessibility facilities, including ramps, elevators and lifts.
The law also requires the Ministry of Transport and local assemblies to take the needs of persons with disabilities into account in the design, construction and operation of public transportation systems.
Senior Project Officer at the Africa Disability Institute, Mispa Enyonam Henu, said the continued failure to implement the legislation was a major concern.
She said public buildings, transport systems and educational institutions across the country still presented significant challenges to persons with disabilities, particularly wheelchair users and the visually impaired.
According to her, the situation raises questions about the commitment of successive governments to translating the legal protections contained in Act 715 into practical benefits for PWDs.
Volta Regional President of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations, Elikplim Afua Klu, said the proposed protest had become necessary because previous calls for enforcement had not yielded the desired results.
She said employment provisions intended to create opportunities for PWDs in both the public and private sectors were also being ignored.
Madam Klu disclosed that disability organisations were currently mobilising their members ahead of the planned demonstration.
She said the date for the protest would be announced once the mobilisation process was completed.
The group is demanding renewed commitment from government to enforce the Disability Act, improve accessibility in public spaces and transportation, and ensure that employment opportunities guaranteed under the law are made available to persons with disabilities.
