By Priscilla Oye Ofori
Accra, May 22, GNA— Voices of Women and Children with Disabilities in Ghana (VOWAC Ghana), a Non-Governmental Organisation, has called on the Government to enhance accessibility to public facilities for women and children with disabilities.
She said Government must have the will power, interest in the issues of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and allocate money and resources to make accessibility easier for them.
Madam Patience Atipoka Atuah, Programmes Manager, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra, said money would be needed for structures to be built and put in place to make women and with disabilities access facilities such as health centres, schools and public spaces.
“… I have three children, I was at the hospital, and (I realised that) the examination bed as too high to climb. For instance, if a lady who is a little person wants to access the hospital bed, it will be difficult for her to climb that bed. So, what are we saying? Is it because she is short, she can’t have a child, or she can’t have family life? Are we are saying that she is not part of us?” She asked.
The Programmes Manager said the Government must ensure that the Accessibility Standards in building structures in the PWDs Act 715 were implemented in all physical structures in the country.
She complained about open gutters which was barrier for women and girls with disabilities in their struggle to access the environment.
“A blind person could fall into an open gutter, or their white canes can get stuck in a hole somewhere.” Madam Atuah added.
The Programmes Manager noted that women and girls with disabilities could not access information, explaining that the blind did not receive information in braille forms and no sign language interpretation for the hearing impaired.
She urged the citizenry to change their attitude towards PWDs and desist from discriminating against them.
GNA
Edited Samuel Osei-Frempong