Kumasi, Jan. 18, GNA - Nana Asampong Boakye III, Asamponhene of Kumasi has said it was about time people changed their attitudes and behaviours towards people with disabilities. He said that people with disabilities have great potentials and when harnessed well they can go a long way to support the socio-economic development of the country.

Nana Boakye said this at the opening of the fourth in a series of workshops organised jointly by the Ashanti Regional branch of the Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled (GSPD) Sports and the Danish Sports Organization of the Disabled (DSOD) at the Ghana Social Club in Kumasi on Saturday.

The training of trainer's workshop which brought together 50 potential physically challenged sportsmen and women from the various districts in Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and the Eastern Regions was to make and prepare the participants to become physically fit, self-reliant, building of confidence, team work and respect for one another. The workshop discussed amputee soccer, table tennis and wheel chair basketball rehearsals and were also taken through international rules in sports, video show on lives of prominent disabled sports personalities and talks on social issues and welfare of people with disabilities.

The Asamponghene stressed the need for the society to support people with disabilities to unearth their talents and potentials and also called on parents to enrol their disabled children in schools instead of keeping them indoors.

Mr. Abdul Aziz Mohammed, National President of the GSPD Sports said that the workshop forms part of the two-and-half-years sports development contract DSOD signed with GSPD Sports in 2006 to develop the participation of disabled persons in sporting activities. He said three of such workshops have already been organised in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions, Central and Western Regions as well as the Volta and Greater Accra Regions Mr Abdul Aziz said it is the hope of the Society that the participants would be imbued with the requisite knowledge as instructors to impart and help their counterparts at the District levels to be physically fit.

He commended all the various people and organizations who continue to contribute towards the development of disability sports with particularly mention of Mr Chaoki El-Anidi, Manager of Ghana Social Club for offering the Club House and all the sports facilities and equipment at the place free of charge for training and other recreational programmes of the GSPD Sports.

He, however, appealed to the Government, non-governmental organizations (NGO's), corporate bodies and philanthropists to invest in disabled sports, adding that GSPD Sports would soon launch a four-year strategic disabled sports development plan for its members. Mr Anthony Agyeman, Head of Community Care Programme of the Ashanti Regional Department of Social Welfare appealed to the participants to inculcate the spirit of good sportsmanship, discipline and fair play in all competitions to participate in.

Mr Sakyi Boafo, Kumasi Metropolitan Director of Department of Social Welfare said that the Department was committed to its advocacy and supportive roles in the socio-economic of people with disabilities.