Tamale, Jan 28, GNA – Three state institutions in the Northern Region have pledged to give strong support to persons with disabilities (PwDs) to enable them to live their dreams.
The Department of Social Welfare, Tamale Metropolitan Assembly and the Sagnarigu Municipal Assembly, say, they are going to continue to improve on their existing support systems for PwDs and create essential support systems that are disability-friendly.
They made the pledge at a community durbar, held at Lamashegu, a suburb of Tamale, jointly by the Centre for Active Learning and Integrated Development (CALID), an NGO, and the Ghana Blind Union (GBU) to engage the community and stakeholders on the support systems for PwDs, particularly, blind people.
This formed part of the “Anti-Stigma and Discrimination Against Blind (ASDAB)” project, aimed at creating a positive culture of support and care, which would allow blind persons and people with mental health conditions to have access to quality health care in the region.
The ASDAB project also seeks to discourage the use of certain words in communities and public spaces, unhelpful to efforts at ending stigmatization of the blind and partially sighted persons in the region.
Mr. Abdul Malik Mohammed Awal, Programme Officer of the Northern Regional Department of Social Welfare said the department had facilitated access to devices such as walking sticks, wheelchairs and other essential care services by registered PwDs.
A rehabilitation centre of the department was providing vocational skills to PwDs to improve their livelihoods.
He added that the Pong-Tamale Industrial Training School was going to be revamped to train more PwDs.
Madam Stella Asare, Programme Officer of the Sagnarigu Municipal Assembly said over the years, the Assembly had been supporting PwDs in the areas of health, livelihood empowerment and education.
She said PwDs share of the District the Assemblies Common Fund had been used to pay medical bills involving surgery and drugs.
Mr. Imoro Mohammed, Northern Regional Secretary of GBU, complained about the discrimination against blind people when it came to employment opportunities and said that had forced many of them to beg on the streets.
GNA