By Maltiti Sayida Sadick
The Executive Director of Save the Eye Foundation, Patience Ofei, has called on the Ghanaian government to urgently implement laws that mandate buildings to be fitted with access routes for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
Speaking on GTV’s Breakfast Show with host Maltiti Sayida Sadick, Ofei highlighted that many public spaces, including voting centers, remain inaccessible to PWDs, denying them crucial services and support.
Visually impaired founder of Save the Eye Foundation, Moses Ayanku Dery, emphasized how vulnerable groups, particularly people with disabilities, are disproportionately affected in times of societal unrest. He stated, “When there is chaos in society, it’s the person with a disability that suffers the most.”
To drive home the message, Save the Eye Foundation is organizing a Peace Walk on October 30th, ahead of Ghana’s 2024 elections. The walk aims to raise awareness about the impact of violence and disorder on vulnerable groups, especially the blind, the aged, children, and PWDs. Dery emphasized the importance of peaceful elections, noting that “noise and chaos at polling stations discourage visually impaired individuals from voting, and if there is pandemonium, we are often left behind.”
Speaking on election challenges, Gladys Agbenu, the secretary of Save the Eye Foundation, highlighted the difficulties PWDs face in accessing polling centers.
“On election day, we face challenges getting to the polling boxes, especially when they are mounted on pavements or in classrooms that lack wheelchair or crutch access. We do not like being carried but want easy access to exercise our voting rights,” she stated.
Agbenu also called for public education on the rights of PWDs, particularly the importance of them being allowed to jump queues on election day.
Save the Eye Foundation is extending invitations to key religious and political figures, including the Chief Imam, the Christian Council, and traditional chiefs, to join in supporting the Peace Walk and the broader cause of inclusivity.
The organization is appealing to security agencies to ensure peace and order at polling stations. They also urged the public to resist any attempts by political actors to incite chaos, especially in a tense election year where the current government aims to retain power, and the largest opposition party seeks to return to office.
With the December 2024 elections fast approaching, the Save the Eye Foundation’s Peace Walk serves as a critical reminder of the need for greater accessibility, inclusivity, and security for all citizens, including PWDs, in Ghana’s democratic process.
