Mrs. Gifty Sekyi-Bremansu, Head of Guidance and Counselling Unit of the Ghana Education Service (GES), says stigmatisation remains a barrier to ensuring inclusiveness of persons with disability.
She said this at a book launch as part of the 20th International Book Fair in Accra, on the theme: “Reading to connect minds for social transformation”.
The book titled: “Wings for Legs”, published by Adwinsa publication, focus on inclusiveness among persons with disability in schools and the need for society to embrace and eschew stigmatisation.
She said accidents, illness, injuries, and genetics among other circumstances could lead to disabilities but regardless of how it developed, disability could have a wide range of effects on the individual.
Mrs. Sekyi-Bremansu said many individuals with impairment exhibited strong tenacity and dependability and expressed worry about ill treatment that persons with disability faced in society, which she described as injustice.
The Head of Guidance and Counselling Unit said stigma was so widespread that they felt isolated, uncomfortable, or even ashamed of their abilities.
Mrs. Sekyi-Bremansu said although discrimination violated the disability Act of 1992, it still existed in the minds of people, hence, the need for stakeholders to increase efforts at fighting stigmatisation.
Mr. Kweku Opong-Amponsah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Adwinsa Publications, said issues of disability were strategically chosen to enable children to appreciate the plight of persons with disability, offer support and make them feel important.
The CEO told the GNA that the book emphasised the creation of an enabling environment for children with disability in schools, churches, mosques, and the society.
“We do not have to let these children feel challenged or disabled, we should let our community be such that children and even all persons with disability will feel comfortable and supportive wherever they find themselves,” he said.
Madam Esther Gyamfi, CEO, National Council for Persons with Disability, said the Council continued to collaborate with State agencies and the private sector to ensure that the national agenda for inclusive sustainable development was achieved.
“The Adwinsa Children’s show has demonstrated the implementation of Ghana’s medium term National Development Policy Frameworks 2022 to 2025 and the Council’s medium-term planning 2022 to 2025,” he said.
The CEO said exclusions that learners with disabilities confronted had been identified and strategies had been developed in the Medium-Term National Development Policy Framework coupled with the Council’s medium-term planning.
Mrs. Mary Amoah Kuffour, a parent with an autistic child, who chaired the launch, said there was so much discrimination and stigmatisation in communities and at school.
She called for sensitisation among the populace to eliminate all forms of stigmatisation, particularly bullying and name calling.
