By Stanley Senya
Accra, Nov. 13, GNA – The Challenged Foundation has called on the government to fully enforce national accessibility laws to ensure that persons with disabilities (PWDs) have equal access to education, transportation, and public services.
The Foundation made the appeal during the launch of a nationwide petition, urging authorities to take stronger action toward creating disability-friendly public spaces and educational institutions across the country.
The petition, according to the Foundation, seeks to advance the implementation of the Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715) and the Building Regulations, 2020 (L.I. 2465), which guarantee access to public facilities and services for persons with disabilities.
This initiative follows the government’s recent announcement of free tertiary education for persons with disabilities, a move the Foundation described as “a bold and compassionate milestone in Ghana’s journey toward inclusion.”
While commending government for the policy, the Foundation stressed that physical accessibility remained a major challenge in many institutions.
It cited the lack of ramps, elevators, accessible toilets, and properly marked parking spaces in schools, universities, and public buildings as barriers that continue to deny persons with disabilities equal participation in society.
“It is heartbreaking when a student with a disability gains admission but cannot access classrooms or facilities.
It is painful when a citizen cannot enter a courtroom without assistance, or when a brilliant young person in a wheelchair has no access to a library or toilet facility,” the statement said.
The Foundation lamented that students and citizens with disabilities are still often carried upstairs or excluded from full participation in academic and civic life—situations it described as violations of human dignity and constitutional rights.
Citing Section 6 of the Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715), the Foundation reminded property owners and public institutions that, “The owner or occupier of a public place shall provide appropriate facilities that make the place accessible to persons with disability.”
It also referred to Article 29(6) of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, which stipulates that “as far as practicable, every place to which the public has access shall have appropriate facilities for persons with disability.”
The petition calls for the Ministry of Education and relevant agencies to ensure that all school and university buildings meet accessibility standards as mandated under Section 17 of Act 715.
It also urges all public institutions, including courts and district assemblies, to comply with Section 7 of the same Act, which mandates accessibility in public service facilities.
The Foundation also called for stronger public education campaigns on disability inclusion and strict enforcement of existing laws to guarantee equality, independence, and dignity for all Ghanaians.
“The Foundation is not asking for privileges but for the right to equal access guaranteed under Ghana’s Constitution and national laws,” it emphasized.
The petition, open to the public for endorsement, forms part of a broader campaign by the Challenged Foundation to promote full inclusion of persons with disabilities in Ghana’s social, educational, and economic systems.
GNA
