BY JOSEPH NANA YAW COBBINAIn all the good things provided for in the Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715) would be a mirage without the enabling regulations to make the law effective, Mr Yaw?Ofori-Debra, President of the Ghana Federation of the Disabled (GFD) has stated.
Mr?Ofori-Debra said in an effort to advance the cause of the implementation of Act 715, the National Disability Day was instituted in the year 2007, a year after the promulgation of the law.
Mr?Ofori-Debra, who was speaking at the commemoration of this year?s annual National Disability Day in Accra, last-Monday, said the motivation for the annual celebration was to regularly remind government, service providers and the general public about the existence of Act 715 and the need to respect its provisions.
He, therefore, called on government to adopt the National Disability Day to broaden its focus instead of remaining a?GFD?annual event.
In an a keynote address, Hon. Rachel?Appoh,? Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, said the Ministry was committed to? mainstreaming disability issues into the development planning? process.
Hon.?Appoh?disclosed that the Ministry would review the Disability Act to ensure maximum attention to issues related to People with Disabilities (PWDs) and strengthen collaboration with other sectors, especially the Ministries of Local Government and Rural Development, Health and?Chieftaincy?and Traditional Affairs to address the concerns of?PWDs.
Dr Henry?Seidu?Daanaa, Minister for?Chieftaincy?and Traditional Affairs, said although there were challenges facing the implementation of the law, the promulgation of the law itself was a significant step in the fight for disability rights.
Dr?Daanaa, therefore, called for a consistent public awareness campaign on disability and urged all stakeholders to continue exploring and working to find solutions to challenges facing?PWDs.
In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of the National Council on Persons with Disability (NCPD), Mr Max?Vardon, disclosed that the?NCPD?was preparing a position paper on disability for the United Nations General Assembly.
Mr?Vardon?said the United Nations had?realised?that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) had not given specific attention to disability issues, hence the request for the position paper to inform its post-2015 development agenda.
As part of activities marking the National Disability Day, a seven-member Media Caucus to promote the rights of the disabled and to work towards the effective implementation of the National Disability Act was inaugurated.
