General News of Friday, 16 December 2005

Source: GNA

Cabinet concludes all technical work on Disability Bill

Accra, Dec. 16, GNA - Cabinet has finished all technical work on the Disability Bill and it will be among bills that will be passed in the new year, Mr Ofori Debrah, President of the Ghana Blind Association, announced on Friday.

He said the Association was playing an advocacy role for all persons with disability to get the Bill passed and it needed the support of other concerned groups.

Mr Debrah was speaking at a day's conference of the Greater Accra Regional Branch of the Association in Accra.

Mr Kwesi Pratt, Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, called on civil society groups to put pressure on Parliament to pass the Bill. He said the media should showcase what disabled persons were capable of doing and to emphasise the need for them to be integrated into every national endeavour and stressed that there should be an institutional arrangement to cater for the disabled, adding, all political parties had failed to meet the needs of the disabled. Mr Pratt said the media should not only educate, entertain and inform but should serve as a platform for the discussion of all issues affecting society.

Ms Agnes Tetteh, Regional Coordinating Council Chairperson, in a report said the Association had 153 registered members and had established three district branches, which currently were operating in Accra, Dangbe East and Dangbe West.

She said as from next year the regional branch would provide credit facilities to its members and also put in place a mechanism to sustain their interest in the Association.