Deaf association to sue institutions without disability-friendly facilities
The Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD) has threatened to take legal action against all public service institutions and establishments that fail to make their facilities disability-friendly by December 31, 2015.
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The Disability Act 2006 gave a 10-year moratorium to all such institutions to put in place facilities to make it possible for all persons with disability (PWDs) to access their services.
The 10-year grace period expires on December 31, 2015.
According to the Executive Director of the GNAD, Mr James M. Sambian, with the exception of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi and the Ridge Regional Hospital in Accra, no institution in the country had made any effort to provide for all persons with disability.
Facilities at KATH and Ridge
He commended KATH and the Ridge Hospital for making their facilities accessible to PWDs, especially persons with hearing impairment.
“They have provided their staff and facilities for us to train the healthcare personnel in sign language to be able to communicate directly with persons with hearing impairment when they visited the hospital,” he said.
In addition, he said, the two health facilities had colour-coded the folders of deaf patients and also created a disability desk which handled only persons with disability.
He said the GNAD realised that its members were denied quality health care because anytime they went to health facilities, there was nobody with him to communicate, “and so most of them resort to self-medication”.
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One year more
Mr Sambian said it was not right that establishments wait until the last year, when the law gave 10 years, before starting to implement the act.
He said even though it was left with just a year, none of the ministries, with the exception of one, had made any attempt to comply with the provisions of the law.
He appealed to the media to help persons with disability by highlighting and educating the public on the Disability Act.
Writer’s Email: severious.dery@graphic.com.gh