Madam Joyce Gyamfi, a leading member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Disability Desk, has asserted that for many persons with disabilities (PWDs), Ghana’s 69th Independence Day is a somber reminder of a 20-year legislative failure.
In an exclusive interview with DisabilityNewsGH.com, Madam Gyamfi highlighted a startling reality: the Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715) will mark its 20th anniversary this year, yet its impact on the lives of the disability community remains “largely minimal.”
One of the most glaring failures, according to Madam Gyamfi, is the total disregard for the Act’s 10-year moratorium on public infrastructure.
The law originally gave all owners of existing public buildings a decade (ending in 2016) to make their structures disability-friendly.
“Ten years were given for all public infrastructure to be adjusted, yet that deadline has long passed with almost no adherence,” Madam Gyamfi noted. “Even more alarming is that nearly a decade after that moratorium expired, we are still seeing new buildings and bus stops springing up that are completely inaccessible. The architecture of exclusion is still being built in 2026.”
Madam Gyamfi attributed this lack of enforcement to the absence of a Legislative Instrument (LI). Without an LI to provide specific regulations and penalties, Act 715 remains a toothless tiger, unable to hold developers or transport operators accountable.
Furthermore, she decried the stagnation of the Disability Amendment Bill. “Efforts since 2019 to align Act 715 with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) have remained fruitless. The amendment bill is yet to even reach Parliament, leaving the community in a legal limbo for over half a decade.”
This legislative stagnation has left PWDs vulnerable to an unforgiving economy. Madam Gyamfi emphasised that mobility is becoming a luxury that many Ghanaians cannot afford.
She argued that essential assistive devices, which are critical for the dignity of PWDs, should be treated as essential medical needs and fully subsidised.
She provided a breakdown of the staggering costs currently faced by the community:
• A pair of Calipers at Ghana Health Services (GHS): GH₵ 9,000
• A pair of Calipers at Nsawam Orthopedic Centre (Private): GH₵ 1,200
• Orthopedic Sandals: GH₵ 600
• A pair of Crutches: GH₵ 250 – GH₵ 400
• White Canes (for the visually impaired): GH₵ 250
• Wheelchairs: GH₵ 2,000 – GH₵ 8,000
“The current costs are killing us,” Madam Gyamfi stated. She added that those unable to pay are often forced to use substandard equipment that exacerbates physical health conditions.
The lack of legal enforcement also extends to the transport sector, where wheelchair users are frequently overcharged.
“Transport fares and illegal charges on wheelchairs are becoming unbearable,” she stressed, describing it as an exploitation of a vulnerable population that the law is failing to protect.
Additionally, she pointed to the pervasive issue of unemployment. Even qualified PWDs are being locked out of the workforce by both physical barriers in offices and the deep-seated “attitudinal barriers” of employers.
Madam Gyamfi issued a fervent plea to the government to move beyond symbolic Independence Day celebrations and prioritise the Disability Amendment Bill.
She called for the immediate addition of a Legislative Instrument (LI) to finally give Act 715 the power to penalise discrimination and enforce accessibility standards.
As Ghana marks 69 years of independence and Act 715 turns 20, the message to the state is clear: a law is only as good as its enforcement. And for Ghana’s disability community, the wait for true independence continues.
SOURCE: DisabilityNewsGH.com
