Women with disabilities deserve scholarship opportunities - GFD

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Accra, Aug. 16, GNA - The Ghana Federation of the Disabled (GFD) has prepared a six-page position paper on 'Affirmative Action for Persons with Disabilities in Ghana' urging government to give more scholarship opportunities to women with disabilities.

The federation said it was aware that women are confronted with discrimination generally; however, women with disabilities 'face double discrimination' as a result of being women and also being disabled.

The proposal is in response to government's move to pass an Affirmative Action Law aimed at reducing discrimination and marginalisation of vulnerable groups, placing women, persons with disabilities, children and the poor at the centre.

Mrs Rita Kusi Kyeremeh, Executive Director of GFD, who made the document available to the Ghana News Agency, thanked STAR-Ghana for funding the development of the paper which, she expressed the hope would lead to change in the quality of lives of Persons With Disabilities.

Star-Ghana is a multi- donor pooled funding mechanism Funded by DFID, DANIDA, EU and USAID.

Mrs Kyeremeh said the document has already been presented to government through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.

The federation said government ought to offer a lot of scholarship opportunities for women with disabilities, create other support platforms for PWDs and consider special arrangements for women with disabilities to pursue basic, second cycle and higher education.

The GFD proposes that an Affirmative Action provisions that benefits women need to also have specific provisions for women with disabilities and children with disabilities.

It said the government affirmative action law under consideration should capture promotion of improved accessibility of girls with disabilities to school from the basic to the tertiary institutions.

The federation also called for maternity leave for women with disabilities to be revised from three months to six months.

'Preferential treatment should be given to women with disabilities during pregnancy visits at the various health facilities,' it said, adding that, appointments of PWDs to public office should also consider proportions for women with disabilities.

GNA