Wa West disability leader calls for ramps as key public offices stay out of reach

The head of the Ghana Federation of Persons with Disabilities in the Wa West District of the Upper West Region has urged authorities to make public offices accessible, saying many buildings still shut out wheelchair users.

According to Info Radio, district chairman Jungmere Saavurooma Charles said several public buildings lack ramps and other basic facilities that people with disabilities need to enter and move around.

He pointed to the Wa West District Assembly, which he said has a ramp at its main entrance but none leading down to its conference hall. He told the station that a woman with a disability once fell while trying to get into the hall.

Mr Charles said similar problems exist at the district health insurance office and other public offices. He also complained that the road leading to the Ghana Education Service district office is badly potholed.

He added that several offices, including the regional education office, are located on upper floors reachable only by ordinary staircases, which in practice keeps wheelchair users from getting services there in person.

He cited the Regional Hospital as an example to follow, saying its ramps allow wheelchair users to reach units on its upper levels.

Mr Charles called on the relevant authorities to install ramps and improve access to public buildings so that persons with disabilities can use essential services on their own and safely.

Ghana’s Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715) required public buildings to be made accessible to persons with disabilities within ten years of the law coming into force, a deadline that passed in 2016. Disability groups across the country have repeatedly said compliance remains poor.

Info Radio did not report a response from the Wa West District Assembly or the other offices named.

Source: Info Radio — inforadio.online