Parliament urged to speed up the passage of disability bill into law

Winneba (C/R) April 17 GNA-Mr. Nyadu Offei, a senior lecture of the Department of Special Education of the University of Education Winneba (UEW) had added his voice to appeals to Parliament to fast track the passage of the disability bill into law to protect the disabled. According to him the absence of such law was contributing to gross negligence and abuse of the right of people with disabilities. Mr. Offei said this at a forum organized by the Special Education Students Association of the UEW to mark its Week Celebration at Winneba on Saturday.

The theme for the celebration was: "Challenges facing the passage of the disability bill in the Ghanaian Parliament- the way forward". He said that after forty-five years of the introduction of the Deaf Education in the country, not a single deaf has been able to graduate from any of the universities in the country.

Mr. Offei said it was only the blind that are being assisted to make academic achievement out of the People With Disabilities.

He reiterated the call on the government to ensure that all public buildings and facilities like buses and telephone booths and others are designed to suit the disabled person.

In his welcoming address, the President of the Association, Mr. Moses Awuni mentioned lack of logistics, including computers, Braille machines, audiometers and lecture halls as some of the problems facing the department.

Mr. Awuni said that despite their limited resources, the association has been able visit four churches in Winneba and Agona Swedru and some Junior Secondary Schools )JSS) in Winneba in their outreach programme to educate the public on disability issues.