The Ghana Federation of Disabilities Organization (GFD) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Development Studies (UDS) on disability inclusion.
The signing was preceded by a dialogue session with the Heads of Counselling Departments at Universities present on disability inclusion and access for counselling for persons with disability on the University campuses in Ghana.
Other public Universities present at the Sunlodge Hotel in Accra for the event and yet to sign the MoU are the University of Ghana (UG), University of Cape Coast (UCC) and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
According to the GFD, the initiative was on the backdrop of reports, experiences and feedbacks from persons with disability and members of the Federation on the various University campuses across the country.
“We are aware that persons with disability face many structural and institutional challenges and attitudes that affect their lives psychologically,” the Federation stated.
In an interview with the Executive Director for the Ghana Federation of Disability Organization (GFD), Rita Kusi Kyeremaa, she noted that the initiative is geared towards empowering the Counselling Units on the various University Campuses to consciously have policies that are inclusive of persons with disabilities.
“We are engaging to empower them to consciously identify persons with disabilities in the institutions who may not have knowledge of these services and ensure they access the services.
And also ensuring that they help in building data on persons with disabilities,” she disclosed.
The Executive Director noted that the initiative started some years back with the Universities on the existing programmes they have at the Institutions especially at the Counselling Unit.
She said the engagements had been on the jabs in the Universities on the issues on persons with a disability upon which some guidelines were built for the Counsellors in the Universities.
“We have also had engagements with persons with disability in the institutions so that they can help in circulating information about the services and the need for them to access them at the Counselling Units.
And today, we have met to dialogue on a Memorandum of Understanding we have proposed to them (Universities), so we can sign to guide the relationship moving forward.
Because we are looking at sustainability and deepening the commitment.
So today the good news is that we have had the University of Development Studies Vice-Chancellor signed the MoU already.
And there are other institutions who are in the process of engaging their legal unity and the leadership of the institutions to sign the Memorandum of Understanding,” she stated.
Madam Kusi Kyeremaa called on the students not to hide any form of disability they may have in order to access the services of the Counsellors on the various Institutions and its associated benefits.
Source: Isaac Dzidzoamenu
