People with disabilities advised not to lower their self-esteem
People with disabilities (PWDs) have been advised to extricate themselves from low self-esteem and mediocrity mentality and channel their energies into productive ventures that will make them self-reliant.
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The Municipal Chief Executive of Ketu North, Mr Pascal Lamptey, who gave the advice, said that could only be made possible when associations of physically challenged people became more vibrant and worked hard to improve the standard of living of their members.
Speaking at a stakeholders meeting organised by the municipal assembly in conjunction with the Ghana Federation of the Disable (GFD), Mr Lamptey observed that disability was always associated with poverty which made them vulnerable and suffer discrimination.
Utilisation of fund
He advised that the two per cent District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) should be used to support PWDs to unearth their talents and also those with common trade for them to establish small ventures from where they could earn a living.
The stakeholders’ meeting deliberated on pertinent issues including the proper disbursement of the two per cent DACF allocated to PWDs to bring relief and comfort to them.
The assembly, he said, would uphold provisions in the Persons With Disability Act, 2006 (ACT 715) and ensure that PWDs lived in dignity in all spheres of life.
Disbursement committee
For their part, the participants called for the establishment of a disbursement fund committee which would assist the fund management committee to do disbursement of the two per cent to the DACF to the selected beneficiaries.
They agreed that it was better to give the money to few identified people for maximum effect than to share it piece meal among themselves which did not improve their standards of living.
The Chairman of the Ghana Federation of the Disabled, Mr Christian Dzisam, in a speech read on his behalf called for a show of commitment towards the implementation of the Disability Act 715 and the UNCRPD for effective inclusion and participation of PWDs.
He further appealed to the assembly to assist the association to get an office to run their activities effectively.