PLWDs appeals to Parl't to champion their issues

By Christopher Arko, GNA

Accra, Nov.23 GNA - Students from the Cape Coast School for the Deaf have appealed to Parliament to advocate on issues concerning People Living with Disabilities (PLWDs), which they claim have been neglected.

They said critical matters concerning PLWDs had been ignored by the state for years and that their inputs were not sought in the preparation of annual national budgets. The students made the appeal when they interacted with the media in Parliament during a visit to the House on Thursday.

The visit was to enable the students to have first time exposure to the work of Parliament and advocate for their needs. The Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), a Non Governmental Organisation, sponsored the visit.

The students also urged Parliament to pass a law so that the Sign Language could be taught at the basic level to enable them to communicate with their counterparts. They complained that most of the text books for the visually impaired students were in print and, therefore, appealed to the Government to convert them into brail.

They said most of the banks did not have interpreters and, as such, found it difficult to transact business with them. They said most of public places and the roads in the country were not disability friendly.

Mr Fredrick Jojo Kwofie, the Programmes Officer of Youth Bridge Foundation, stated that prior to the trip the students were sensitised on their participation in local governance and helped to understand how the budget was prepared at the local level.