Change your attitude towards persons with disabilities - Evans Aidoo

Takoradi, June 02, GNA - Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, the Western Regional Minister, has appealed to Ghanaians to change their attitude and perception about Persons With Disability(PWDs).

He said anyone could be disabled too and hence it was important for all to change their perspectives that hinder the development of PWDs saying "we must encourage and provide them with the necessary support and assistance for their advancement and welfare."

Mr Aidoo said these in a speech read on his behalf at the launch of a project dubbed "Increasing participation and voice of persons with disabilities in local governance", in Takoradi.

The project was funded by Local Governance and Decentralisation Programme(LOGODEP) and it was aimed at building the capacity of PWDs to fight for their rights.

The Regional Minister charged owners of public buildings to provide appropriate facilities to make them accessible for PWDs and admonished parents and guardians of children with disabilities to enroll them in schools, adding that disability does not mean inability.

The Minister indicated that disabled persons had the potentials of achieving great success in life and society must assist them in all their endeavours.

He noted "anyone who contravenes the Disability law would be punished as stipulated in the law."

The National President of the Ghana Federation of the Disabled, Mr Joseph Adu-Boapong, admonished PWDs to desist from begging on the streets and entreated them to find meaningful work to do for livelihood.

He encouraged his colleagues to have confidence and belief in themselves and cited persons with disabilities that achieved great laurels.

He charged the various district assemblies to give the 2 percent of the district assemblies' common fund allocated to the disabled.

Mr Adu-Boapong advised them to form associations in their respective districts in order to claim the money meant for them.

Mr Chris Pul, a Citizen Participatory Expert of LOGODEP, said the organisation is providing small grants to civil society organisations towards their activities.

He said 1050,000 US dollars had been set aside for that purpose saying 25 CSOs had received support and undertaken various projects in areas such as sanitation, education, health among others, all geared towards supporting vulnerable people in society.

He said the project aimed at enhance the capacity of vulnerable groups to fight for their rights.

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