Mr Thomas Charles Obeng, Chief Executive Officer, Tomobglobal Foundation, London, UK, has called for the positioning of disability issues in the development context to attract the necessary research and attention as it affects the general development society.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency after interacting with students of the Tema Secondary School, he asked them to defeat their weaknesses as a way of becoming what they aspire to be. “Your weakness doesn’t mean you can’t do anything,” he said.
Mr. Obeng, who is also an international motivational speaker and disability advocate, recounted how he lost one of his arms in a lorry accident when he was just ten.
As a result, he learnt how to write with his left hand as he struggled to overcome his disability.
He observed that “fighting through life with situations like mine is not easy at all,” but hinted that, notwithstanding “you can do things that people say is impossible.”
Mr. Obeng, who is also a legal consultant, a chartered banker and an Evangelist, stressed the need to intensify one’s efforts to achieve ones aim “If you are disabled, the only thing you can do to suppress this problem is to work very hard,” he said.
Mr. Obeng observed that Ghana’s Disability Act has no provisions for children and women with disability, humanitarian services and political participation.
He therefore called on the Ghanaian parliament to speed up the review of the Persons with Disability Act (Act 715, 2006) to meet international standards.
He explained that while the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) promotes inclusive education at all levels, the People With Disability Act (PWDA) (Act 715, 2006) of Ghana is different.
“There are to date only a few special schools in the country, and those run by the government have serious issues. Private special schools are very expensive, and mainstream schools still struggle to include children with disabilities, out of lack of will or resources. Genuine inclusive education remains a far cry at policy and practice levels.
Other areas, according to Mr. Obeng, where there still exist discrepancies between the UNCRPD and that of PWDA, is with the definition of People With Disability (PWD) which is narrow in Ghana’s case. Again there are differences in terms of health care and employment provisions, close consultation and active involvement of persons with disabilities in decision-making processes and freedom from torture and cruel treatment or punishment.”
Others include access to public buildings, provision guaranteeing the equality of a person with disability with other people, protecting and ensuring the safety of PWDs in times of situational risk and humanitarian emergencies, protection of integrity, right to freedom of movement and nationality, the right to freely express oneself and have access to information through means and formats that are easily available to PWDs.
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