Originally published here.

The exploratory quantitative study sought to develop an understanding about the relationships among disability, gender and employment in Northern Ghana. A total of 110 individuals with disabilities (20–60 years) from various disability groups participated in the study. The results indicate that many persons with disabilities are unemployed, the majority being women. Discrimination is cited as the greatest barrier to the employment of persons with disabilities, particularly women. The majority of persons with disabilities, typically women, live in poverty; given that some are unemployed and those who are employed worked mostly in marginal, seasonal and menial jobs. Persons with disabilities also experience several challenges on the job, including negative perceptions about their capabilities, discrimination and exclusion, irrespective of the employment sector and disability type.

Educational interventions such as workshops, documenting and showcasing success stories of persons with disabilities could be helpful to reduce negative perceptions about their capabilities as well as discrimination against them. Government intervention to support persons with disabilities with start-up capital and funding for formal education is also recommended as these two elements were identified respectively as barriers to self-employment and employment in the public/private sectors. Government interventions to create educational opportunities for persons with disabilities are essential given that lower educational attainment affect their employment.

This study, like every other study, has limitations. The results cannot be generalised to the entire population of persons with disabilities in the Northern Sector of Ghana, and inGhana as a whole, due to use of non-probability sampling method. The sampling method used, recruiting participants from the disability movements and specific towns might have introduced selection bias to the study. The sample may not represent the population of persons with disabilities in the Northern sector. Additionally, poverty estimates in this study might have been underestimated due to participants’ affiliation to the disabilities movement. This connection might have probably positioned them to be better-off than the typical person with a disability in Northern Ghana. These limitations notwithstanding, the following recommendations could advance the employment of persons with disabilities. As study participants suggested, public education about their capabilities and the need to end discriminatory practices are crucial for their employment, job security and tenure.

Persons with disabilities in Ghana continue to experience underemployment and unemployment. Discrimination is cited as the major impediment to the employment of persons with disabilities as well as a challenge for those who work. This recommendation also supports provision in Article 18 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) 2006). Educational interventions such as workshops and discussions to demystify the public’s perceptions about disability, documenting and showcasing success stories of persons with disabilities could be helpful in reducing and/or eliminating negative perceptions about the capabilities of persons with disabilities and discrimination against them. More emphasis should be given to women and girls with disabilities, as they are more marginalized due to sexism and disabilism. These interventions should target individuals and organizations that could use their platforms to continue to raise awareness about disability issues after the trainings and discussions are over. Examples are faith-based organizations, teachers, traditional leaders, employers, the media, the traditional institution, and civil society organizations.

The Government of Ghana should find better ways to disburse and monitor the implementation of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) as recommended by Social Enterprise Development Ghana (SEND-GH), a civil society organization in Ghana. In 2005, the government gave a directive instructing all District Assemblies (local governments) to allocate up to 5% of their shares of the common fund for persons with disabilities (Republic of Ghana 2009). However, in its quest to support the development of persons with disabilities, the government in 2007 added a ‘ring fencing’ clause to the guidelines for the utilization of the DACF. Part I, guideline #6 of the DACF states that, ‘[t]wo percent (2%) shall be utilized to support initiatives by the physically challenged in the District’ (Republic of Ghana 2009). Nevertheless, a research by SEND-GH (Andoh 2014) indicates that the District Assemblies sometimes borrow  from the DACF and do not repay into the fund. This impacts on access of persons with disabilities to the fund. The DACF could be a better source of start-up capital for persons with disabilities, given that the lack of it was identified as an impediment to self-employment. It could also be a source of funding for the self-employed to grow and maintain their businesses, since they are less likely to access other sources of funding due to the lack of collateral security (which is a requirement of financial institutions) as well as discrimination. Additionally, specific guidelines delineating detailed activities (e.g., starting, maintain, growing small businesses, and further education) eligible for funding under the DACF is recommended.

The government should develop welfare policies and programs for the children of persons with disabilities. This is necessary, as over half of the participants have children they cannot provide for due to their poverty situation. Such programs are more likely to advance on the health, educational outcomes and overall well-being of the children of persons with disabilities and of persons with disabilities as a whole. There is also a need for the government to develop measures to collect data about persons with disabilities as indicated in Article 31 of the CRPD. Lack of information about disability, which is the current situation, impact appropriate policies and programs that could benefit persons with disabilities. Disagregated data is recommended to effectively address issues specific to the disability groups.

For future research, there is a need to collect data that is nationally representative of persons with and those without disabilities and research to comparing these two populations to better understand the relationships among disability, gender and employment. 

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