In the global language of development, the phrase “Leave No One Behind” has become a sacred mantra. It is the heartbeat of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the guiding light for social interventions across Ghana. Yet, for a significant portion of the Ghanaian disability community, this promise rings hollow.
There is a growing group of citizens who find themselves existing in a blind spot – too old to be called “youth,” yet too vulnerable to be ignored.
They are the “marginalised among the marginalised,” a demographic of persons with disabilities (PWDs) over the age of 35 who are being systematically excluded from the very programmes designed to lift them out of poverty.
The Tyranny of the 18–35 Bracket
For some time now, economic empowerment projects in Ghana, whether funded by the government, international donors, or disability civil society organisations, have shared a common, rigid criterion: they are almost exclusively targeted at the youth. With age limits typically capped at 35, and in some cases as low as 25 – thousands of PWDs find themselves “aging out” of hope.
The logic behind youth-centric programming is clear – to capture the next generation. However, the application of this logic to the disability community ignores a fundamental reality: disability does not evaporate at 36. If anything, the intersection of disability and aging often deepens a person’s vulnerability.
The Burden of Responsibility Without Support
Madam Joyce Gyamfi of the NDC Disability Desk has become a vocal advocate for those trapped behind this age wall.
She points out that major state interventions, such as the National Apprenticeship Programme and the Adwumawura programme, remain inaccessible to the majority of PWDs due to these strict limits.
“We have entrepreneurs with disabilities who are doing well but receive no support because of their age,” Madam Gyamfi notes. “Life becomes unbearable when there is no financial support or a dedicated workspace for those who have already established themselves.”
The irony is that those in the “above 35” bracket often carry the heaviest burdens. Many women with disabilities in this age group are single mothers struggling to provide for their children, pay rising rents, and maintain their households.
By excluding them, the state isn’t just leaving an individual behind; it is often leaving an entire family in a cycle of poverty.
Madam Gyamfi’s proposal is clear and practical: the government must move beyond temporary programmes and build modern resource centres in all 16 regions, while extending grants to entrepreneurs with disabilities regardless of whether they fit the conventional definition of “youth.”
The Invisible Plight of Later-Life Disability
Adding another critical dimension to the discussion, Madam Patience Atuah, Programmes Manager at VOWACGhana (Voices of Women and Children with Disabilities in Ghana) highlights the severe neglect faced by individuals who acquire disabilities later in life, often after the age of 35.
“What becomes of someone who, at 40 or 50, loses their mobility or sight due to an accident or illness?” Madam Patience Atuah questioned. “They might lose their job, their income, their social circle, and suddenly need entirely new skills or adaptations to navigate life. Yet, the current interventions designed for persons with disabilities ignore them completely because they’ve passed an arbitrary age threshold. Do they not deserve support too?”
This group, often having been able-bodied for much of their lives, faces a double tragedy: the loss of previous capabilities compounded by immediate exclusion from support systems simply because of their age.
The lack of pathways for retraining, financial assistance, or social integration leaves them in an even more precarious position, challenging the very notion of inclusive development.
The Paradox of Delayed Transitions
The Centre for Employment of Persons with Disabilities (CEPD) argues that these rigid age limits are not just exclusionary – they are fundamentally flawed in their design.
The President of CEPD, Mr. Alex Tetteh, highlights what he calls “delayed life transitions,” a phenomenon unique to the disability experience.
Because of systemic barriers – stigma, lack of inclusive schools, and inadequate support systems – many persons with disabilities start their education much later than their non-disabled peers.
A PWD might not complete their basic or vocational training until their late 20s or early 30s. By the time they are ready to enter the workforce or scale a business, they are already knocking on the door of the 35-year-old cut-off point.
“Imposing rigid age limits unintentionally excludes the very individuals such interventions are meant to support,” Mr. Alex Tetteh explains. “Many PWDs are still in school or in the foundational stages of development during the 18–35 window. Applying uniform age criteria without considering their unique life trajectories reinforces inequality rather than addressing it.”
Rethinking the Architecture of Inclusion
If Ghana is to truly honour the spirit of the UN development agenda, the architecture of social intervention must change.
The consensus from the ground is that economic empowerment, training, and support must move away from chronological age and toward “stage-of-life” or “need-based” criteria.
The way forward requires a fundamental shift in policy, embracing:
- Flexible or Extended Age Limits: Acknowledging that a 40-year-old PWD starting a business, or a 50-year-old newly disabled person needing retraining, may be at the same foundational career stage as a 22-year-old non-disabled person.
- Need-Based Criteria: Prioritising support based on the individual’s specific circumstances, responsibilities, and stage of development, rather than a rigid birthdate.
- Targeted Programmes for Acquired Disabilities: Creating specific interventions for those who become disabled later in life, ensuring they have pathways to rehabilitation, re-skilling, and reintegration into the workforce.
- Inclusive Resource Centres: Establishing hubs that offer ongoing support, mentorship, and access to capital for entrepreneurs with disabilities, regardless of age.
As it stands, the current system suggests that a person’s right to economic empowerment expires once they blow out 35 candles, or is non-existent if they acquire a disability later. But disability is a lifelong journey, and our social interventions must be equally enduring.
Until the government and donor agencies look beyond the “youth” obsession and embrace the full spectrum of the disability experience, a vast percentage of the disability community will remain trapped in a room with no exit, watching through the window as the world marches forward under a banner of inclusion that does not include them.
SOURCE: DisabilityNewsGH.com
