Sunyani (B/A), May 2, GNA - Mr Daniel Y. Bontobo, Chairman of the Ghana Association of the Blind has expressed concern about the mass unemployment facing the blind community in the country. He was speaking at a press conference organised by the association in Sunyani to highlight some of their concerns to the concerned authorities for attention.

He noted that Ghana Education Service had been the major employer of the blind and the visually impaired in the country and appealed to government and other stakeholders that disabled persons, who have had training in trades should be considered for jobs, disability in not inability.

He called on the district, municipal and metropolitan assemblies to include the blind and all other disabled persons in the informal sector by offering them loans and grant facilities. The regional chairman mentioned that there was lack of adequate training facilities for the blind, as most of them could not have access to rehabilitation, because they were either not provided for or due to high cost of training.

He emphasized that some blind persons, who got registered in the government programme of registering all unemployed youth in the country could not participate because the training was only of visual demonstration with no attention to the presence of the blind. Mr Bontobo called on the government to create one seat for the disabled community to represent their interest at the district assemblies, adding that, they want to be included on the government policy agenda and in supported of the provision of goods and services. He stated that the blind were disintegrated from families and large societies due to an old age attitude of misconceptions about all categories of disabilities and urged the public to preach against such discrimination, since anybody could be disabled at any point in life. Mr Bontobo advised members, who have taken to arms as a career in life to put a stop to it and turn their attention to skill training for self-employment, as it cast snare on the image of the disabled community.

Mr Jeremiah K Asobara, regional secretary appealed to drivers to allow blind people using the white-cane to cross the road as the cane indicate the user is blind. He called on Non-Governmental Organisations and individuals to come to assist in buying white-canes for the less privileged ones.