Laptops For Blind Youth
By: Jamila Akweley Okertchiri

GOVERNMENT has pledged to provide laptops for both blind and partially-sighted youth (BPSY) especially those in the tertiary institutions.

Stephen Amanor Kwao, Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, made this known over the weekend when he addressed the 17th Annual National Delegates Congress of the youth and students wing of the Ghana Association for the Blind in Accra.

The minister noted that the Disability Act, passed in 2006, was to protect and promote the rights as well as the interest of people with disabilities and further empower them to contribute their quota to national development.

He also assured them of government’s support in the areas of education and employment.

He further stated that government will work with the National Council on Persons with Disability to among other things coordinate policies and activities of organizations promoting the interest of people with disability, international organizations and also NGOs that deal with disability. Collaboration with such bodies, he noted, was necessary as these monitor and evaluate policies and programmes, as well as promote research on issues on disability to encourage self employment among people with disabilities, particularly the youth.

Honorable Amanor Kwao added that in view of government’s support towards the disabled in the society, the percentage of the District Assembly Common Fund set aside for disability issues has been increased from 2 percent to 5 percent. Also, government was going to continue the loan scheme for people with disabilities.

The minister, in his concluding statements, encouraged the delegates to work with determination and avoid begging. He also urged parents to send their disabled children to school.

Mr. Ofori Debrah, president of the Ghana Association for the Blind (GAB), noted that all the tertiary institutions have blind students in their institutions and therefore the laptops would enable them do their activities with less support from others.

He further called on the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND) to have a facility that would cater for the blind and partially sighted students since GAB was finding it very difficult to fund students who cannot pay their user fees.
According to him, The high facility cost for visually-impaired persons should not be used as an excuse to deprive them of quality education. “We have the ability to do something for our families and the nation as a whole.”

The president of GAB also charged government to come out with a scheme to help solve the issue of unemployment among the disabled in society stating that the Accra Rehabilitation Center and the Social Welfare Department were under performing with regards to catering for the physically-disadvantaged.
The low enrolment rate of such people was also attributed to the poor allocation of budget to institutions catering their needs.

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PIX saved in daily guide folder as GAB
Caption: Guests at the delegate’s congress