Ghana Blind Union celebrates 50years of secondary, tertiary education

The Ghana Blind Union has celebrated 50 years of secondary and tertiary education in the country, with a call on the Government and corporate Ghana to assist them with technological equipment that make life easy for the blind and partially sighted.

Such equipment and assistive devices, they say, will not only make learning easy for them but also make them live independently of their families.

The event which was held in Accra on Wednesday, October 27, 2021, was to celebrate how education has impacted the lives of the blind in the country. It was under the theme "Success beyond blindness".

Former National President of the Ghana Blind Union and now second vice chairman of the World Blind Union, Mr Yaw Ofori-Debrah, acknowledges that education has emancipated the blind from the struggles of social and cultural barriers.

He boasts that many blind people are today, into law, civil and public services, politics, entertainment, media and all other sectors of the country's economy. Consequently, blind people are now enjoying social recognition, which has enhanced their personal honour and dignity.

"The blind who once fed from the sweat of their siblings and other charitable people, today, we are happy to state that because of education, we have been able to turn the situation around. And now, our relatives are feeding on our sweat", he adds.

Mr Ofori-Debrah further states that blind people are also contributing to the welfare funds of their communities, churches and all other religious organisations they belong to.

He said, "we are everywhere and we are making our presence felt in every facet of national life; all because of education."

While calling on the Government to pay particular attention to the educational needs of the blind, he also asks for employment opportunities for them; adding that, "It is only education and employment that will lift the blind beyond the debilitating effect of disability."

Mr Ofori-Debrah also appealed to parents of children with visual impairment to do well to invest in the education of their wards, so as to enable them become useful to themselves, the families and society as a whole.

In October 1971, the Methodist Church, Ghana established the first secondary school for the blind and partially sighted (an integrated school) at Wenchi. And in the 1978-79 academic year, the first blind student, Mr Andrews Naah was admitted at the University of Cape Coast. The following year, Lawyer Dr Seidu Danaah and retired state attorney, Dr Bashiru Koray, were also admitted at the University of Ghana.

Dr Danaah was later appointed Minister for Chieftaincy and culture by former president John Mahama, making him the first-ever person with disability to hold a ministerial position.

The national President of the Ghana Blind Union, Madam Ayishetu Ibrahim, is currently the District Director of education for Wa East, also the first-ever blind to rise to such a position, among many other achievements of the blind community.

In an interview with Modern Ghana News, The Executive Director of the Ghana Blind Union, Dr Peter Obeng-Asamoa, said, the Union was looking forward to a time when a blind person would become a Regional Director or Director-General of education, and many other great achievements in all aspects of society.

He complained about the difficulty the blind face in getting employment and urged employers to focus on their abilities, instead of their disability.

Dr Obeng-Asamoa paid glowing tribute to the Methodist Church for setting the pace for secondary and tertiary education for the blind and partially sighted in the country.

He also acknowledged the contributions of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, SightSavers International, Christoffel Blendin Mission, Germany, the special education division of the Ghana Education Service and others.

The General Director of Education and Youth Development of the Methodist Church, Ghana, Very Rev. Mrs Naana Danyame, who represented the Presiding Bishop of the Church, the Most Rev. Dr Paul Kwabena Boafo, as the chairman of the ceremony, pledge the church's continuous support to the union.

She disclosed that the church trained and ordained several blind people as Reverend ministers of the gospel of Christ and gave them opportunities to serve in the church.

According to her, that demonstrated the church's recognition of their abilities and commitment to improving the lot of the blind.

Very Rev. Mrs Danyame donated a cheque of an undisclosed amount of money on behalf of the church to support the ceremony.