By Emmanuel Fletcher 
Various major organizations representing persons with disabilities have come together to make a strong declaration to the state. The advocacy groups held a massive press conference inside Accra to demand the urgent passage of the new Persons with Disabilities Bill of 2026.
The unified coalition explained that the current legal structure does not protect their members from daily challenges and discrimination. They are logically pushing the government and Parliament to speed up the legislative processes to ensure full social inclusion and fairness across the nation.
The advocates explicitly pointed out that even though Ghana passed the older Persons with Disabilities Act back in 2006, the implementation has been highly disappointing. For example, Section 60 of that old law gave a ten year deadline for all public buildings to become fully accessible by 2016.
Unfortunately, that promise remains completely unfulfilled as many public schools, courtrooms, and administrative offices still lack ramps or elevators for easy movement. The Inclusive Family Alliance founder, Hannah Awadzi, explained that the daily struggles of vulnerable citizens directly contradict the beautiful promises made by politicians twenty years ago.
Broken Promises in Education Transport and Public Health Care
The coalition revealed that qualified citizens with physical challenges still face massive systemic barriers when looking for jobs or seeking medical attention. Public transport systems remain incredibly unfriendly to wheelchair users, while designated inclusive schools and rehabilitation centers have failed to materialize across our communities.
Furthermore, our public hospitals and state agencies still lack professional sign language interpreters to assist the deaf community, which often leads to poor healthcare delivery. The advocates logically argued that these persistent problems are not caused by any inability of the individuals, but are the result of failed institutional systems and negative public attitudes.
The proposed new bill provides a highly strategic upgrade to our national social safety net by introducing enforceable accessibility standards for buildings, transport networks, and digital communication tools. It introduces powerful oversight bodies where citizens can formally report cases of workplace discrimination or institutional neglect.
A major demand from the group is the immediate transformation of the National Council on Persons with Disabilities into a fully independent national commission. This administrative upgrade will give the regulatory body enough constitutional power and financial resources to punish institutions that refuse to respect accessibility rules.
The joint statement was delivered on behalf of the Ghana National Association of the Deaf, the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations, Inclusion Ghana, and several other national bodies. The groups have appealed to traditional authorities, corporate managers, and the media to champion this national campaign.
They want the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection to immediately secure Cabinet approval and push the document through the current parliamentary session. The advocacy coalition has firmly stated that its members will not rest until the new bill becomes a functional law that protects every citizen.
Also Read: Ghana’s Healthcare System: Challenges and Progress in 2026
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