The Director of the Centre for Disability Studies and Advocacy at the University of Ghana, Professor Joana Salifu Yendork, has called on governing boards to deliberately champion inclusivity in all areas affecting persons with disabilities (PWDs).
Speaking to Univers News during the commemoration of World Disability Day 2025, which was observed on December 3, Professor Yendork urged members of the university community and its boards to engage in collective action, stressing the need for intentional inclusivity, particularly in addressing global challenges that affect persons with disabilities at the University of Ghana and beyond.
“And for us, this is a call for us to engage in a collective action to ensure that we are being intentional about inclusivity in every sphere of life, especially when it comes to global challenges. And most importantly, how it impacts persons with disability.”
She further emphasized that accommodation and infrastructure must be accessible to students with disabilities, ensuring that their university experience is not negatively impacted by barriers.
“It is important for us to put structures in place. And when I say structures in place, we are talking about accommodation to ensuring that how we teach, how we examine students and even the residences that we provide for them are accessible. We have to also ensure that the structures, the building structures, are accessible,” she said.
“All over campus, there are just a few buildings that can easily be used by persons with disability. And so it is very important that we are intentional and invest in modifying these structures to ensure that they are accessible,” she added.
Professor Yendork also cautioned that climate change poses additional risks, noting that environmental conditions can amplify the burdens and stresses faced by already vulnerable populations. She insisted that persons with disabilities must not be left out of climate-related policies and measures.
“As we put measures in place, policies in place, we should not forget that these environmental conditions can amplify the burden, the stresses, the already vulnerable populations among us. And we cannot leave out persons with disability. So this year, we want to call everyone to be intentional, to engage in structures, measures, policies that truly reflect our values of ensuring that no one is left behind,” she affirmed.
The 2025 celebration was observed under the theme “Fostering Disability-Inclusive Societies for Advancing Social Progress.”
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Story by Kelvin Owusu Andam | univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Gabriel Tecco Mensah
