The Ghana Federation of Disability has expressed concern that failure to implement policies and poor structures continue to deny them their ability to realise their full potentials.
The Youth Advocate of the Ghana Federation of Disability, Nina Akosua Efidi Okorafor, called for inclusiveness in education and sports.
She spoke at the Unified Football for Inclusion event at Akropong in the Eastern Region.
The Unified football for Inclusion event, organised at Akropong School for the Blind, was participated by pupils with disabilities from six disability schools across the country.
The United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with the Norwegian Government and the Ministry of Education organised the sporting activity among the children with disabilities and abled children to enhance inclusion.
Children with disabilities still face stigma and social prejudice which are against their rights.
The Youth Advocate of Ghana Federation of Disability, Nina Akosua Efidi Okorafor, pointed out that stigmatisation was still affecting children with disability, hence the need for inclusion to unearth talents for national development.
According to the 2021 Population and Housing Census by the Ghana Statistical Service, 8 percent of Ghana’s population including children have varying degrees of functional difficulty.
Many of these children do not have access to quality education due to lack of proper educational facilities and community’s poor approaches to these special needs children.
These are against the convention on the right of persons with disabilities to have equal basis with other children.
The Country Director of UNICEF, Anne-Claire Dufay ,said her outfit will continue to roll out activities in line with its policies to remove all impediment that hinder inclusion and afford person with disabilities equal opportunity to harness their potentials and talents towards development.
“At UNICEF, we believe all children and young persons should have a fair and equitable chance to enjoy their rights, no matter their abilities and today’s football tournament are part of the many activities that we support to celebrate children.”
The President of Ghana Football Association, Kurt Okraku, believes persons with disabilities also have vision and must be given the opportunity to achieve greatness for a brighter future.
He donated footballs and jerseys to the participating teams.
By Yvonne Neequaye|3news.com|Ghana