Today, our class took a visit to Accra Rehabilitation Centre
and the Ghana Federation of the Disabled. Joseph Atiga is in charge of the
former, which is a government institution established in 1962 to train all
categories (blind, deaf, mental retardation, physical disabilities, etc.) of
disabled people in vocations such as tailoring, carpentry, shoemaking, crafts,
and visual arts. While we were there, I asked several people if I could photograph them and was given permission to do so. The center was quiet because students were on a holiday break, but a few people were still milling around working on their craft. At the tailoring shop, a man sold some shirts to us, and one of my classmates purchased a sewn sleeve for her laptop bag from beautiful fabric there as well.
The mode of admission sequence was the following. First,
guardians of the disabled would go to the nearest office of Department of
Social Welfare (DSW). They write a social investigation report, including a
medical report. This report is forwarded to the original DSW office. They, in
turn, send the report to the center, who run an intake assessment interview.
Once at the center, students are fed three meals a day. Rehab centers like this
one are in every region in Ghana, except the Upper West Region. Students are
educated during two semesters: February through June and September through
December. Populations served here must be able to afford filing records, and
performing assessments. The center is not overwhelmed with people, despite the
large population of disabled in Ghana, because of monetary constraints.
Wheelchairs piled up in a corner, and weaving
Mr. Atiga demonstrates the method a double transradial (mid forearm) amputee artist uses to hold a paintbrush, and a piece of that artist's work.
It isn't a school for children; people admitted are adults
17 years of age and older who never went to school, dropped out, etc. The training
period before graduation is three years. The center doesn’t find their
graduating students jobs, but they do recommend some students to the DSW.
The ratio of students to employees at the center is 30:20. Nurses
and other Ghanaians don’t want to volunteer or work here; they would prefer to
travel abroad to the USA or UK to make more money for themselves. The center is
limited by lack of funds for food and supplies for the students because they do
not receive any government money. They rely on donations from the community.
NYU’s program donated 200 cedis to them in gratitude for hosting us.
Next, we proceeded to a conference room where we met with
Frederick Ofosu, Isaac Tuwen, and Alexander ___. They are officers of the
federation, which was founded in 1987. There are other associations that
advocate for the disabled, including the Ghana Association of the Deaf, The Mental
Health Society of Ghana, the Association for the Blind, and the Association for
Albinism. They have multiple branches throughout Ghana in 150/215 districts.
The Ghana Disabilities Act was passed in 2000. It was very
much welfare oriented, but disability has gone past the era of being a welfare
issue. The Mental Health law was passed in 2012. Statistics on disabilities
were taken in 2010 to estimate the amount of people with severe disabilities,
and the number was 3%.
Also, GFD works on influencing politicians. Members look for
support from citizens and internationally. Women, particularly, don’t have a well-represented
voice, though this is recognized as a problem, which is better than an attitude
of ignorance or indifference. Accessibility is key – many public places are inaccessible,
thus leading to many disabled people without access to educations and thus
resorting to begging. Ghana’s goal is to be more social welfare oriented, and
in the direction of providing social services to those in need.
There are no service dogs or animals used in Ghana, which I
thought was interesting because you commonly see cats, dogs, goats, and chickens
wandering around on the roads.
After the conclusion of our meeting, we went to a stationary
store to purchase school supplies for four different schools. Each school will
receive 100 cedi worth of supplies. They are the La Enobal Public School primary program,
which is a low funded junior high with kids ages 12-18; WaaWaa2, a school with a
strong focus on autism/speech with kids ages 6/7; School for the Deaf, a junior
high for kids 13-17; and the Developmental Center, which serves children and
adults with mild to severe disabilities. Our class split into four groups and
each group was in charge of one of the four schools. We all decided which
supplies to buy. Because I am personally interested in art, I was happy to pick
up markers, colored pencils, clay, brushes, and watercolors as part of the
donation process. The books that we originally brought to Ghana will also be
donated with these supplies next week. I wanted a roll of tape so I could put
some pamphlets and memorabilia into my Moleskine, and I bought one here for 75 p. (35 cents).
Our lunch break was next. I needed to pick up some snacks
for the trip to Cape Coast tomorrow, so I got off of the bus in Osu. I bought
some crackers, salted cashews, honey hazelnut nougat, and a pack of four metal
butter knives (for the peanut butter to go on the crackers). Next, I set off in
search of an ATM to pull out some cedi for the weekend. I finally got lucky on
the third ATM where my card was accepted. (I’m not sure why it didn’t go
through at two of them as it is a Visa.) I had bought a sandwich at Shop Rite for
lunch and also looked at what the vendors had to offer on the street. After
that I hailed a cab, bargained him down to 6 cedis and headed off to school for
the lecture.
Our class today was more of a question and answer
session/discussion than a lecture. We spoke with Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah and his
Public Relations Officer (PHO), Anthony. Emmanuel was on Skype. Emmanuel’s aim
is to ease the difficulties of people who are disabled and often have no
parents, parents who have forsaken them, or cannot afford schooling. He wants
to form a sports academy in each region of Ghana, but it has not been
implemented due to lack of funding. He speaks of his religious beliefs with confidence and inspiration, saying that God put him on the earth in order to complete this task. (The title for today's blog entry is a Twi saying meaning 'Accept God'.) The academy Emmanuel dreams of opening
would be open to the public so that everyone could have access to it.
Emmanuel’s theory about why the disabled are begging is
because family, companies in Ghana, and their friends do not believe that a
disabled person can contribute to society. Emmanuel’s friends claimed he was
unable to play soccer, but he proved them incorrect. He says that beggars need
to be provided with jobs and education so they have choices.
Emmanuel wants to ride his bicycle from CA to Washington DC
to NYC to raise $3-5 million from Nike. He wants to do it by the end of May in
order to establish a school in Ghana for disabled children. Emmanuel currently
works as a taxi driver in CA. I asked him about how to break new ground as an
occupational therapist in a country where there are none. He said that if a
school is built, then people will come. Also, in Ghana, students need to learn
about OT as a profession. Emmanuel is limited by the government who has not
backed his efforts, either in building and donating 100 wheelchairs or starting
the school. He said that this is a mistake because “disability is a friend to
human beings… You never know when you’re going to be in a wheelchair.”
On a personal level, Emmanuel said that he met his wife at
an African naming ceremony. He currently has three young girls, aged 9, 7 and
3.
I was really tired after dinner at Tante Marie tonight.
Tomorrow is a three hour drive to Cape Coast where we will be going to Kakum
National Park and doing a canopy walk. We’ll be staying overnight in a separate
hotel there, and have a very early pickup at 6 am on the bus tomorrow. Sunday
we’ll return to Afia Beach Hotel and it’s a free afternoon, so I’m eager to go
to the Art Center and maybe take a nap.
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