The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) is in the process of defining accessibility standards of public buildings and walkways.

Mr Max Vardon, a Disability Rights Activist, said this at a seminar for selected Planning Officers of District Assemblies in the Volta Region on mainstreaming disability interest into development plans.

Mr Vardon, who is a former Executive-Secretary of the National Council of Persons with Disabilities, said the GSA document would determine the width of doors, structuring of walkways among others.

He said it should be priority now to play up disability issues into development plans at all levels.

Mr Vardon expressed regret that people, including public officials, would dismissively refer to the 2 per cent cut out of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) for disability issues as enough when PwD interest must be factored into every activity.

He said Article 28 of the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), ratified by Ghana’s Parliament, wanted “State Parties to recognize the right of persons with disabilities to an adequate standard of living for themselves and their families, including adequate food, clothing and housing and the continuous improvement of their living conditions”.

VOICE-Ghana, a Ho-based disability interest think-tank, in partnership with Local Governance Network (LOGNet) and Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), is implementing the project under the theme, “Giving Disability a Centre Stage in Development Plans of Local Government”.

Mr Charles Nyante, Project Coordinator of VOICE-Ghana, said a baseline evidence and data had already been established on the inclusion of disability in the development plans and budgets of the Assemblies.

He said during the second phase of the two-year USA Disability Fund supported $67,000 project, ending August this year, the focus would be on organizing one event in seven regional capitals.

Mr Nyante said those events, in collaboration with the Institute of Local Government Studies, would introduce and engage the Assemblies to the Article 28 of the CRPD, so they could mainstream it into their Medium Term Development Plans.

Mr Francis Asong, Director of VOICE-Ghana said the project would also actively engage the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC).