Mr George Tettey, the Gbetsiley Organiser of the Abel Group Foundation, has encouraged Persons with Disability (PWDs) to strive to break the stigmatisation barrier associated with disability and work hard to improve their lives.
The Foundation is a subgroup of the Ghana Federation of the Disabled.
Mr Tettey, a disabled person, said there was widespread stigmatisation and discrimination resulting from the negative perceptions people had about disability, which made it difficult for most of them to thrive in society and live to their full potential.
Mr Tettey, speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said most PwDs were left out of social activities, distanced from friends, and denied jobs among other things due to their disability.
For fear of stigmatisation, some disabled people shied away from opportunities and attending public gatherings.
Mr Tettey said he used to sometimes recoil into his shell based on the reactions of people whenever he asked for help to augment his parents efforts
in educating him.
When he overcame the fear of stigma, he was able to approach the Social Welfare and Community Development office in the Kpone-Katamanso Municipality to apply for some help, adding that he was assisted to go into mobile money vending to support his education.
He said with empowerment and the right policies, most disabled persons would be pushed to go beyond their limits and do unlimited things.
Mr Tettey encouraged persons with disability to break all barriers and take advantage of existing policies and programmes to better their lives and that of their families.
Source: Ghana News Agency