Disability advocates and development organizations have called for more intentional workplace inclusion and accessibility for persons with disabilities in Ghana during the EmpowAbility Seminar 2.0 held in Accra to mark May Day.
Held under the theme, “Celebrating the Ghanaian Worker: Inclusion, Dignity and Opportunity for All,” the seminar brought together development practitioners, advocates, professionals, and persons with disabilities to discuss equal opportunities and inclusion in the workplace.
The call comes amid persistent challenges facing persons with disabilities, including unemployment, discrimination, limited access to training opportunities, and societal stereotypes that continue to hinder full participation in society and the workplace.
Speaking at the event, Executive Director of Springboard Road Show Foundation, Comfort Ocran, urged organizations and institutions to incorporate effective disability inclusive strategies to encourage inclusion and accessibility in every aspect of the Ghanaian workspace. “Inclusion by default means we don’t add accessibility as an afterthought. We build it in from day one”. She said.
She further emphasized the need to create spaces that enable persons with disabilities to participate fully in national development through equal access to opportunities, empowerment initiatives, and support structures.
Reinforcing the call for mindset transformation, Michael Owusu Asare, Director of No Limit Foundation, challenged persons with disabilities and young people to rise above limitations and take intentional steps toward personal growth and empowerment. “The wheelchair is not the disability: the real disability is a mindset that believes you cannot change your circumstances due to challenges you are confronted with,” he stressed.
Director at the Centre for Employment of Persons with Disabilities Ghana, Mr. Alexander K. Tetteh, encouraged persons with disabilities to embrace entrepreneurship and self-development as a means of financial empowerment.
The event was organised by No Limit Foundation in partnership with Springboard Road Show Foundation, Centre for Employment of Persons with Disabilities Ghana, Enterprise Life, Enterprise Insurance, Enterprise Trustees, Gold Fields Ghana Foundation and Telecel Ghana among others.