ABSTRACT

Disability is everyone’s portion and therefore can befall anyone. Whiles some are born with it, others acquire it through ailment, accident or medications used in treating some  sicknesses. All though most jobs can be done by people who have disabilities, their participation and integration in the labour market, particularly the formal market has not been very encouraging. Though the passage of the Disability Act by Government in 2006 was meant to comprehensively deal with disabled people’s participation in socioeconomic activities, significant changes are yet to be realized. This study aimed to comprehensively examine the employment status of persons with disabilities in the Greater Accra Region. It sought to ascertain their level of employment across the various sectors of employment and to also find out some of the factors limiting their participation in the labour market. The study employed a mixed approach by analysing quantitative data from the Ghana Living Standards Survey 6, and field interviews conducted by the researcher. It was found that persons with disabilities have low levels of employment compared to non-persons with disabilities. Their level of participation is equally low in the formal sector. Factors such as low level of education, discrimination, inaccessibility to public places and the absence of a legislative instrument to operationalize some of the provisions in the Disability Act was also identified as limiting persons with disabilities’ participation in the labour market.

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

                        Background of the Study

The right to work/employment is essential for one to become a full and equal member of Society. It applies to everyone, regardless of his or her disability status. The right to work is guaranteed under Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Employment is one of the keys to reducing poverty and enabling social inclusion. Employment also enables people to gain skills and knowledge, and build their self-esteem. It is however not all kinds of employment that is desirable. A decent employment is what is essential. Hence, the Sustainable Developmental Goals under Goal 8 makes decent employment a key target for achievement. Decent work entails the promotion of fundamental rights and principles at work place, creation of employment, social protection and social dialogue for all; men, women, youth, adults, disabled and non-disabled (UN, 2016). Thus, People with Disabilities have the right to work and equally contribute to development. Disability therefore can be seen both as a human rights and a development issue. A duality which has been acknowledged earlier in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) under section M of its preamble.

Having a productive labour force is indispensable to the overall economic development of every country. Hence, obstacles to employment does not affect only individuals but their family and the entire economy. It is therefore essential that effort is made to involve all capable persons in productive activities. Mitra et al. (2011) noted that, even though most jobs can be done by Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), their access to employment is often obstructed by barriers, as explained by the environmental/social model of disability.

Despite the fact that disability issues have become part of the main discourse in relation to development, human rights and poverty alleviation globally, the MDGs, which were to set parameters to assess a country’s development, did not address the issues of disability within its targeting framework (Groce, 2011). It is on these accounts (developmental, human rights and poverty alleviation) that the UN’s development agenda (Agenda 2030) for Sustainable Development has developmental targets for persons with disabilities. It includes targets for making the environment accessible for persons with disabilities (PWDs) to address the relevance of disability and its inclusion in development efforts. These targets are embedded in Goals 1, 4, 10 and 17 of the SDGs (UN, 2015).

What is meant by “disability” and who can be considered a “disabled” person has been debated over the years. Because disability is contextual, it experience differs between individuals. How it is experienced depends on the nature of one’s impairment and how contextual factors impact it. In usage, the term persons with disabilities (PWDs) is an umbrella one that represent people that have some form of functional limitations and therefore may need or and use assistive device in performing their daily activities as compared with persons without disabilities.

According to the United Nations Convention on the Right of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), Persons with disabilities “include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments, which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others” (p.4). Ghana’s Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715) considers person with disability to mean an “individual with a physical, mental or sensory impairment including a visual, hearing or speech functional disability which gives rise to physical, cultural or social barriers that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of that individual” (p.17).

From the above, PWDs can therefore be distinguished by the fact that they may be unable to do certain things in the same way most people in the mainstream society do without some form of adaptation or alternative assistance (Abena Bemah, 2012). It can also be noted that disability results from the interaction between one’s bodily impairment, and the unsuitable and unfriendly structures in society. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified seven different types of disabilities. These include:

• People who are partially sighted or blind,

• People with intellectual or learning disabilities,

• People with physical disability,

• People with an acquired brain injury,

• People who are hearing impaired or deaf,

• People with chronic illnesses,

• People with psychological difficulties or mental-health problems.

Aside these types, it is essential to also note that one can have more than one form of disability. Thus, a person could have physical disability and be visually impaired as well. One can be partially sighted and be deaf or hearing impaired, making one a person with multiple disabilities.

A person with physical disability that relies on a wheelchair for mobility would have different experience and limitations on his movement compared to someone who is having similar disability and does not have access to a wheelchair. Likewise, physically disabled persons with access to a wheelchair who are in a well built and physically accessible environment with disability rumps have different experience from those in an inaccessible environment. A person who becomes visually impaired as a result of injury or illness also adjust over time to

being able to cope with his/her disability. This makes his/her experience of the disability vary across time.

Disabled people can be found all over the world. They constitute the biggest minority group in the world. It is globally estimated that about 16 percent of the world’s adult population have some form of disability (about 650 million out of the estimated 4.2 billion adults). The prevalence in developed countries (12%) is lower than developing countries (18%). When disaggregated on gender basis, 14 per cent are males while 11 per cent are females (WHO, 2011). The same report shows that when the figure is extrapolated for persons 15 years and older, about 750 million PWDs are estimated. The WHO data also shows that disability is associated with ageing, making it more prevalent among the aged compared to younger people. Thus, people who are young are less likely than the old people to be disabled.