Examining Interventions In Ghana Towards Protecting The Human Rights Of Persons With Physical Disabilities

ABSTRACT The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Ghana Disability Act were both developed to give Persons with Disabilities access to rights that they had been denied of for long. Yet twelve years after, PWDs are still being marginalized and do not enjoy the same benefits and opportunities as persons without disabilities. This research, therefore, focuses on examining the interventions in Ghana towards protecting the human rights of persons with physical disabilities. The conceptual framework used is the Human Rights Model of Disability and it recognizes that disability must not be taken as a legitimate ground for the denial or restriction of human rights. The study is purely a qualitative research and the purposive sampling method was used in selecting the target population. A semistructured interview guide was used in collecting the data and the data were analyzed using thematic data analyses. Major findings from the study reveal that, interventions have been put in place to protect the rights of PWDs including: The 3% District Assemblies Common Fund; Environmental and Social Framework of the World Bank; the Ghana Accessibility Standard; the Employment Policy; early childhood screening to detect disability; and public education on disability. Some challenges to these interventions are, prevailing traditional beliefs in society, insufficient funding for projects, lack of a legislative instrument to aid enforcement of Act 715 and inaccessibility of public buildings. The way forward is for government to collaborate with international organizations, CSOs and PWDs themselves in protecting their rights, monitoring agencies in their roles and holding them accountable and finally encouraging a policy of inclusion and mainstreaming for PWDs.