Employment Opportunities For The Blind Advocated

The Programmes Manager of the Ghana Society for the Blind, Alimata Abdul Karimu, has expressed concern about the non-availability of employment opportunities for the blind in the country.

She said less than one per cent of visually impaired persons are employed in both the public and private sectors.

Ms Karimu said this in an interview with the Times in Accra on Monday.

She stated that the society operates on the largesse of foreign donors and philanthropists whose gestures are sometimes not forthcoming.

Ms Karimu said one of the major constraints the society faces is stigmatisation, adding that Ghanaians have the notion that blindness is a curse and therefore shy away from visually impaired persons.

Ms Karimu said people should treat visually impaired children with care and offer them the necessary assistance.

'They need emotional support and love to boost their confidence and potentials,' she said.

She said that the society has established a computer centre to train the visually impaired in Information Communication Technology (ICT).

The programme manager said so far 100 people have been trained, adding 20 visually impaired persons have since been employed by a reputable ICT firm.

She appealed to the government to improve facilities at rehabilitation centres since most equipment there have become obsolete.