Ms. Gifty Akosua Adzigbey, a distinguished Mandela Fellow, Public Health Nurse, and passionate disability inclusion advocate, has been at the forefront of a series of impactful initiatives across Ghana this year.
Her work seamlessly blends high-level policy advocacy with direct, community-level interventions, addressing critical gaps in healthcare access, education, and economic empowerment for persons with disabilities.
Setting the stage for her broader advocacy, Ms. Adzigbey recently organised a crucial one-day seminar at the University of Health and Allied Sciences. The seminar, themed “Breaking Communication Barriers, Making Health Accessible by All in the Deaf Community,” brought together Public Health Nurses to dissect the profound impact of communication on healthcare access.
Ms. Adzigbey meticulously outlined the significant challenges faced by the Deaf community in various health units – from OPDs and antenatal care to labor rooms and family planning.
Drawing from success stories in the Gomoa West District, where her consistent voluntary support has ensured barrier-free care for Deaf mothers and children, she underscored the vital role of healthcare professionals in learning sign language and becoming advocates.
She passionately recommended extending sign language training in tertiary institutions from three months to a comprehensive three-year programme, asserting that such a commitment is essential for fostering effective communication and ensuring equitable health services for the Deaf community.
Her powerful take-home message resonated: “Together, we can break communication barriers and make health accessible in the Deaf community by learning sign language.”
Beyond policy discourse, Ms. Adzigbey’s commitment translated into direct action, commencing with a focus on education. On March 19, 2025, she extended a helping hand to Ishmael Entsie, a 14-year-old physically challenged boy attending Gomoa Akropong Basic School.
Recognising that “disability should not be a barrier to education,” Ms. Adzigbey donated an assistive device, enabling Ishmael to attend school comfortably and embodying the spirit of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) – equitable education for all.
Further demonstrating her compassionate spirit, on May 17, 2025, Ms. Adzigbey and her team brought smiles to the face of a 60-year-old physically challenged woman at Apam Junction. In a heartwarming Mother’s Day gesture, she presented the elderly woman with a new wheelchair and a hamper.
Ms. Adzigbey emphasised that “a mother can be anyone, irrespective of their health status,” celebrating the inherent dignity of motherhood regardless of physical challenges.
As June 2025 unfolded, Ms. Adzigbey shifted her focus to menstrual hygiene, a critical yet often overlooked aspect of health for girls with disabilities. On June 8, 2025, she led a comprehensive programme at the Cape Coast School for the Deaf, benefiting 96 Deaf and deaf-blind girls.
Activities included vital health talks on hygiene, practical demonstrations on fixing and discarding used pads, lessons on sewing mini bags, and a generous donation of free sanitary pads.
Just five days later, on June 13, 2025, Ms. Adzigbey replicated this impactful initiative at the Salvation School for the Deaf, where 44 Deaf girls received the same essential education and resources.
Concluding her string of impactful interventions for the summer, from July 21 to August 8, 2025, Ms. Adzigbey spearheaded an entrepreneurship and financial skills training programme for five young Deaf women and girls in the Gomoa West district.
This intensive programme aimed to equip them with the tools for economic independence, mitigating vulnerability to exploitation and single parenting.
The graduation ceremony saw the Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni and Disability Lens generously providing each trainee with a start-up kit, complementing their certificates of successful completion and setting them on a path toward self-reliance.
Ms. Gifty Akosua Adzigbey’s relentless dedication underscores a holistic approach to disability inclusion in Ghana. Through her strategic advocacy and hands-on community engagement, she continues to champion a future where communication barriers are broken, education is accessible, dignity is upheld, and economic empowerment is a reality for all persons with disabilities. Her work serves as a powerful testament to the transformative potential of passionate advocacy.
SOURCE: DisabilityNewsGH.com
Welldone and Ayekoo to you colleague of the noble profession
Thank you Ms. Atipoe