September each year marks the International Week of the Deaf (IWD) and International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL).
While the IWD initiative of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) celebrated by the global deaf community, the IDSL was adopted pursuant to a United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/C.3/72/L.36/Rev. 1, which recognizes 23rd September each year as International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL).
Both IWD and IDSL seek to raise awareness about the fundamental rights of the deaf community through awareness raising, advocacy and stakeholders’ engagement aimed at promotion the human rights of deaf people, and highlight issues that merit urgent attention.
This year's IWD is celebrated under the theme "A World Where Deaf People Everywhere Can Sign Anywhere!” and this aligns with one of the most important advocacy priorities of GNAD, a call for improved access to employment opportunities through recognition of Ghanaian Sign Language.
In rapid changing society with declined welfare support system coupled with massive youth unemployment, the ability to earn a living through paid labour with decent terms and conditions is an important aspect of an individual’s ability to live independently.
This ability is increased importance as it contributes to a secured in, strengthened social security, pension entitlements that contribute to security in old age, associated good health and adequate nutrition.
For Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), work not only creates opportunity to earn income but also enables PWDs to participate fully in mainstreaming society.
The past few decades have seen growing interesting about rights to work of young people including strategies to get youth with disabilities into the labour market and reduce their vulnerable.
These initiations have resulted in substantial interventions using various strategies aimed at increasing youth disabled people’s participation in the labour market.
In Ghana, the introduction of road toll jobs for PWDs, youth employment projects, planting for food and jobs and other seek to get the youth including youth who are deaf and hard of hearing into the labour market.
Despite these interventions, the evidence has shown that significant number of Ghana’s 470,737 population identified as having varied decree of hearing loss are still unable to enter the labour market and maintain sustained employment.
While low level of educational attainment and low employable skills place deaf youth at disadvantage when it comes to competition in the labour market, traditionally held views about deafness, ignorance among society about the capacity of deaf people to work, negative perception that deaf people are occupation risk and doubt that deaf people can be good employees contribute to worse the youth unemployment situation among deaf youth in Ghana.
As we join the international community to observe the International Day of Sign Languages, the Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD) wishes to state that unemployment among deaf youth in Ghana shall continue to be high unless government adopt initiations that can promote their full integration into the labour market.
As a first step to addressing the above, we call on the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social protection and the Ministry of Employment and labour relations to as matter of urgency expedite action towards the adoption of the Equity Employment Policy.
This policy was developed by the Ghana Federation of Disability Organization to which GNAD is a founding member. Such a policy is crucial to facilitating positive discrimination aimed at getting more youth deaf people into the labour market.
Section 10(1) of the PWDs Act, Act 715, 2006 enjoins government to offer tax incentives to organizations and companies that employ PWDs.
Although the PWDs Act has been in operation since 2007, these provisions have not been utilized by employers.
GNAD understands the lack of utilization of the provision is due to limited awareness among employment about the provisions and lack of clarification on the part of the state on how these provisions could be implemented.
As part of measures to address unemployment among deaf youth in particular and PWDs in general, we call on the state to expedite action in re-enactment of the revised PWDs Act, Act 715.
GNAD believes that this is a step in the right direction to provide a legal and regulatory framework to motivate employers to take passion in employing PWDs.
Due to low educational attainment and the fact that communication barriers constantly exclude deaf people from getting employment in the formal sector, the majority of them engage in entrepreneurship contributing substantially to economic growth and development.
Regrettably, majority of them are excluded when it comes to government support for youth entrepreneurship.
To ensure that more deaf people continue to expand on their business, we call on the Ministry of Business Development to provide support to young entrepreneurs who are deaf and hard of hearing.
This support is important to ensuring they are not left behind in accordance with the tenant of the SDG.
The past years have seen increased in youth employment particular graduates from Ghana’s tertiary education institutions. Subsequently, many youth people are now venturing into self-employment as they pursue both tertiary and vocational trainings.
Unfortunately, deaf schools are not the target of government education investments in Technical and Vocational Education.
As part of long-term efforts to ensure that deaf youth are able to get meaningful employment, we call on the Ministry of Education to add Agriculture and Electrical Engineering to existing courses in Senior High School for the Deaf.
These two courses are relevant as they prepare the youth into self-employment in the future.
The Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD) wishes to convey its heartfelt appreciation to organizations and businesses that have extended their support to our advocacy work by means of employment opportunities for youth who are deaf and hard of hearing.
We call on other organizations to emulate their examples.
About Ghana National Association of The Deaf
The GNAD is the national organization of Deaf People in Ghana. GNAD is the mouthpiece of deaf people and works to ensure that every deaf person in Ghana enjoys the right to a life of dignity.
GNAD seeks to achieve an active and productive deaf community with access to education and information and steady economic activities that can sustain and maintain quality and security of life.
GNAD achieves its vision through mobilizing of members, removing communication barriers, creating awareness on deaf issues, and advocating for equal opportunities for the Deaf community.
The association is affiliated to the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) (the largest International Non-Governmental organization), West and Central Africa Secretariat of the WFD, Ghana Federation of Disability Organizations (GFD) and the host organization for WFD West and Central Africa Secretariat Transnational Capacity Building Project.
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