Develop policies to address disability concerns

 Dear Editor,

AT the beginning of the year, when I went to the bank to deposit money into my uncle’s account, I observed a very sad situation where a man in a wheelchair strug­gled to navigate his way around the facility.

This is because the struc­ture is disability unfriendly.

As I stood and watched how the man struggled to move his wheelchair, I felt sad and wondered if this is how the life of a disabled person should be. It be­comes worse if there is no one to offer help.

In Ghana, People With Disabilities (PWDs) are of­ten treated differently and are often subjected to all forms of discrimination.

Most of these people find themselves in such a situ­ation as a result of unfor­tunate happenings such as accidents and injuries.

It is, therefore, not appropriate for anyone to discriminate against them. Discrimination against such persons take many forms, including how buildings are constructed.

Most of the public struc­tures are not disability friendly and impede their movement.

As a country, we should consider the PWDs in de­signing our structures. I also think that there should be a national policy that seeks to address this issue.

I have a strong conviction that when such a policy is developed by the govern­ment, people with disabili­ties would feel appreciated and also promote social inclusivity.

Ray,

Kasoa