DAILY GRAPHIC – 23rd April 2015

By: Shirley Asiedu-Addo, Elmina

Planning Officers attending a workshop on disability were blindfolded for minutes to enable them experience disability at firsthand.

Others were made to use the wheelchair around the workshop centre to understand how it felt to be in a state of disability.

After the brief exercise the planners said they were more than ready to speak for the disabled in the planning and development processes of their towns and communities.

VOICE GHANA, a disability right, advocacy and capacity building organisation organised the programmes for selected Planning Officers from Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies from the Western and Central Regions at Elmina.

The Experience

Ms Audrey Amoah from the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipal Assembly said it was frustrating finding her way round even though she had critically observed the area before she was blindfolded.“Locating the hall and all of that with a white cane was a big challenge,” she said adding that “this has changed my perception about the blind and I would as much try to integrate their challenges based on what I have experienced.”

The Director of VOICE GHANA, Mr Francis Asong said the exercise was to bring it home to those in charge of planning the development of the communities that disability should be considered in their development agenda.