We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 June 2021
Methodology
The purpose of this chapter is to examine how disability is to analyze the factors accounting for the nonenforcement of the Ghana Disability Act since its adoption in 2006. Data was generated through personal interviews with thirteen Ghanaian activists of the disability movement between 2016 and 2017, a content analysis of official policy documents of the state, and a review of secondary literature. The policy documents reviewed include the National Disability Act 715, the 1992 Constitution, the National Disability Policy adopted in 2000, official documents of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organizations (GFDO), the Ghana Blind Union, the Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD), the Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled (GSPD), and media reports. In addition, I relied on my field experience (acquired between 2008 and 2012) in the disability sector during my role as former director of GNAD and a research and information officer of the GFDO.
Background of Disability Policy in Ghana
In postindependence Ghana, the genesis of disability policy can be traced to the early 1960s, when Kwame Nkrumah's Convention's People's Party (CPP) adapted the British social orthopedics model of rehabilitation. As a disability policy, the central objective of the social orthopedics model is to make the disabled population employable. The initiative of the government was informed by the outcome of national surveys in the 1950s that showed that the majority of street beggars were persons with disabilities (PWDs). Thus, between 1961 and 1966, the integration of PWDs into the workforce became the central focus of National Disability Policy. This was coupled with emphasis on special education. The Education Act of 1961, for instance, made provision for the special needs of PWDs. Besides, the rehabilitation policy of the CPP government encompassed the generation of a database of PWD, the establishment of Rural Community Rehabilitation Centers with Urban Industrial Rehabilitation Units (IRUs), and the employment of graduates of the community rehabilitation centers by the IRUs.
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.
