City in Ghana requires all future schools, public buildings to have disability access

From the Ghana News Agency:

HO, Ghana -- The Ho Municipal Assembly would no longer approve building plans of public institutions including schools which lacked facilities for disabled people.

Mr Isaac Kodobisah, Ho Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), said this when the Voice, a Ho based disability non governmental organisation, presented educational materials to 64 pupils with disabilities in the Volta Region on Sept. 14.

The beneficiaries were drawn from selected Kindergartens, Primary and Junior High Schools from five districts of the Volta Region.

The items included school uniforms, note and exercise books, pens, pencils and erasers.

Mr Kodobisah, who lauded the efforts of Voice, asked the organisation to nominate one person to represent it on the Social Services Committee of the Ho Municipal Assembly.

He also requested a three year development plan from the group to the Assembly to be included in its medium term development plan.

Mr Kodobisah said the two per cent from the Assembly's Common Fund for the disabled would be released to them but that the Assembly would ensure that it was used for its intended purpose.

Mr Francis Asong, Director of Voice, said the presentation was made possible by a grant of 1,400 Ghana cedis from YMCA Glasgow.

He said his organization would work assiduously to build the capacity of people with disabilities to improve their lives to become self-reliant.

Mr Asong appealed to the government to include children with disabilities in special schools and trainees of rehabilitation training centres in the beneficiary list of the free school uniforms promised.