The 40th anniversary celebration of the Church of Christ Deaf Ministry at Bomso in Kumasi turned into a powerful call for inclusion, as leaders and advocates urged society to open doors of higher education and public services to persons who are deaf and non-verbal.
Mr Albert Boateng, Ashanti Regional Deputy Director of Social Welfare in charge of community care programs, emphasised that one of the core objectives of social welfare is to ensure that persons with disabilities are fully accepted by society.
He expressed gratitude to government for increasing the District Assemblies Common Fund allocation to 5 percent, describing it as a morale booster for the disability community.
Mr Boateng noted that while many persons with disabilities are able to access secondary education, higher education remains a huge challenge.
“We need to motivate them with technological assistive tools so they can contribute their quota to national development, because most of them are very intelligent,” he said.
He praised government’s policy of free education up to the tertiary level and encouraged persons with disabilities to contact the Welfare Department for support.
He also highlighted the difficulties faced by deaf and non-verbal persons in public spaces such as post offices, shops, and hospitals, where the absence of sign language interpreters leaves them stranded.
Mr Boateng called for more training of interpreters and urged architects and builders to design inclusive facilities that allow persons with disabilities to “have a feel of themselves.”
On his part, Bryon Lee Dial, a minister of the Church of Christ who pioneered the introduction of sign language in Ghana, expressed joy at the progress made in the deaf community over the years.
He noted that many deaf persons are now going through formal education, but stressed the need for tertiary institutions dedicated to their advancement.
“They are intelligent and capable of contributing effectively to national development. We must have faith in them,” he said.
The anniversary, held under the theme “40 Years of Deaf Ministry of Church of Christ Ghana – Honoring the Past, Strengthening the Present, Inspiring the Future”, brought together church members, social welfare officials, and advocates who reaffirmed their commitment to building a society where persons with disabilities are empowered to rise to greater heights.
FROM KINGSLEY E.HOPE,KUMASI
