H4P (Here For Perfection) crew, a non-governmental organisation advocating issues of persons with disability has, for the second time, organised fund games for students in special schools, a responsibility education authorities have ignored over the years.

The organisation said it had taken upon itself the responsibility to remove systemic barriers hindering persons with disability (PWDs) from contributing their quota to the economic prosperity of the nation.

Speaking at the opening of the 2nd edition of the H4P inter-schools disability fun games anchored by the theme: “ability in disability” on Friday, Ms Elorm Asiseh, a Member of H4P Crew said the event offered the students a unique opportunity for them to demonstrate their potentials in sports for total social integration.

She said the occasion sought to develop the abilities of PWDs in sports, foster unity and cooperation among special schools and create the enabling environment for them to contribute to societal progress.

The fun games also served as a viable ground to identify athletes for the Special Olympics as well as encourage parents of children with special education needs to enroll them in schools and not to lock them up in homes.

More than 600 special students, representing 13 schools from Upper West, Eastern, Greater Accra, Central and Western regions, on Friday, competed in various games.

The participating schools engaged in a tug of peace, three-legged race for the blind, table tennis, lime and spoon race, volleyball, sack race, seven-aside football and musical chairs.

Mr Joel Akperika, Assistant Sports master of Wa Methodist School for the Blind, told the Ghana News Agency that, the event had given the students a refreshing exposure and an opportunity to share experiences with sister schools.

He expressed worry that despite the “special nature of special schools,” they were largely neglected in terms of educational materials and sporting equipment.

Mr Akperika appealed to the Ghana Education Service to provide sporting equipment to special schools and consider organising similar events for them yearly, as pertaining in the regular schools.

The H4P crew organised the maiden sporting event for seven special schools, covering three regions last year, and managed to scale up to five regions this year.

Ms Asiseh said the organisation faced funding challenges but expressed the hope that they would spread the event to cover all the regions next year for fuller participation of PWDs in sporting activities.

The Dzorwulu Special School in the Greater Accra emerged the overall best for the Intellectually Disabled category while Akropong School for the Deaf in the Eastern Region topped in the Visually Impaired Category.

The Hearing Impaired category was swept by the Demonstration School for the Deaf in Akuapim-Mampong, also in the Eastern Region.