Defying the Odds of Disability in Ghana
December 17th, 2021 | Stories
Growing up as a child with a visual impairment, climbing the educational ladder in Ghana was difficult for Beatrice. Educational materials available to her were not accessible, and most teachers lacked the skills and knowledge to use inclusive teaching and learning techniques. When Beatrice would make a request, they would become frustrated and some verbally abused her.
Despite these challenges, Beatrice graduated university with distinction. Then came another battle: employment. Beatrice struggled to find a job, and some employers shut their doors to her when they learned she had a disability. She finally found a position working in the disability and non-profit sectors, most recently as a valued member of the World Education Ghana team.
Today, with determination, hard work, and support from family, Beatrice proudly acknowledges her disability and is working full time as the Disability and Inclusion Advisor for World Education Ghana’s Strategic Approaches to Girls’ Education (STAGE) project as part of the Girls’ Education Challenge. The obstacles she faced continue to motivate her to promote the inclusion of women and children with disabilities in her community.
Defying all odds, Beatrice has reaffirmed that disability is not inability and that shaping an inclusive future for all assures that persons with disabilities receive respect, dignity, and the opportunity to create and lead a fulfilling life.
It is for Beatrice and all those with disabilities in hard to reach communities in Ghana that World Education joins in celebrating this year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
The STAGE project in Ghana is funded through the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office under the Girls’ Education Challenge initiative. STAGE enrolls highly marginalized out-of-school girls aged 10-19, including girls with disabilities, in an accelerated learning program that provides literacy, numeracy, and life skills, followed by reintegration into school or vocational training. In total, the program will reach 17,244 out-of-school girls in nine regions, 10% of whom have disabilities, between 2018-2023.
World Education firmly believes that no girl should be denied her legal right to an education. The program therefore ensures that girls with disabilities and their families are provided with educational options that are in line with the government’s policies and responsive to girls’ and their families’ educational wants, needs, and aspirations.
View the recording of our stakeholders consultation session. (passcode: 8!B9tgc8).
