Disability support services is largely informal in Ghana, usually family members provide such services without any support from the Government, Mr Moses Fordjuor, a consultant on disability issues has said.
He said: “there are no professionally trained support
workers, the sector is not organised and regulated as compared to countries
like the United Kingdom or Australia.”
Mr Forduor shared his observations when he presented a
situational analysis report on the disability situation in Ghana.
The report was done with the support of the United Nations
Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Multi-Partner Trust Fund
Mr Fordjuor said the most affected group in such a situation
were mostly children with Cerebral Palsy
and Autism whose care givers, mostly the mothers, combined the care and
support with the struggles for economic and social activities.
“Support services can be broadly categorized into personal
care involving Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and attending medical
appointments escorts, respite care, staying active through social and community
participation.”
The Situational Analysis report touched on the coordinating
mechanisms, description of the legislative and policy context, discrimination
and inequality issues, affordability of support services for the various
disability groups, level of accessibility and inclusiveness of mainstream
services such as education, health social services, livelihood and employment.
Mr Fordjuor said the situational analysis has shown that
statements about disability inclusion in the National Development frameworks and
ongoing initiatives are not based on a national disability strategy.
