Use your platforms to champion disability issues, not mock us – GFD to media

The Executive Director of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD), Mr Peter Anomah Kordie, has called on journalists to use their platforms to champion the rights and concerns of persons with disabilities rather than using derogatory expressions to describe or mock them.

He said some journalists, particularly those who use the Akan language in their reportage, sometimes resort to proverbs and expressions that make reference to the challenges or disabilities of persons when explaining news stories, a practice he described as offensive and unfortunate.

Mr Anomah Kordie said the media had enormous power to shape public opinion and influence policy decisions, making journalists important partners in the promotion of disability rights and inclusion.

He urged media practitioners to use that influence to highlight issues affecting persons with disabilities and hold policymakers accountable.

He made the call at a media capacity workshop in Kumasi on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, organised by the GFD in partnership with the Mental Health Society of Ghana and the Africa Disability Institute.

The workshop, supported by the European Union and held in collaboration with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Ashanti Regional Branch, was held on the theme "Effective Media Reporting on Disability: Promoting Economic Justice and Inclusion Through Responsible Journalism".

The event brought together journalists, editors, social media and online media practitioners, as well as persons with disabilities, to discuss ways of improving media coverage of disability-related issues.

Participants were taken through disability awareness, ethical interviewing and storytelling, the legal framework on disability and appropriate terminology for reporting on persons with disabilities.

Mr Anomah Kordie said responsible media coverage was essential to ensuring that challenges confronting persons with disabilities received the necessary attention from policymakers and the wider public.

He noted that inadequate coverage could leave critical concerns about accessibility, employment, education, healthcare and economic opportunities largely ignored.

He therefore urged journalists to move away from using disability-related phrases and proverbs that had little relevance to the issues being reported and instead adopt respectful and inclusive language.

He also called for a stronger and sustained partnership between the GFD and the media to keep disability issues visible in Ghana's national conversation and ensure that persons with disabilities were represented with dignity.