Let's Change Our Attitudes Towards PWDs

THE Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Mrs Cynthia Morrison on Tuesday, lamented the practice of mimicking of people with disabilities (PWDs) in movies in Ghana.

"I do not find that funny at all, it is rather dehumanising and totally wrong and must stop," she said.

Speaking at the launch of a campaign aimed at protecting the rights of persons with disability in Accra, under the theme, 'Equal World Campaign', Mrs Morrison, urged the public to rather help promote PWDs because they need love and acceptance from society.

According to the minister, it was very important for the rights of PWDs to be respected in the country, as well as across the world.

Mrs Morrison assured that the ministry would continue to support PWDs to unearth their potentials and support them when the need arises.

The Ghanaian Times shares in the view of the minister and wants to add that the mimicking of the PWDs in movies is just a tiny part of the problem such people face in the country.

Although strides have been made to the protection of the rights of PWDs it is infuriating and wrong that society continues to look on while they are ridiculed in many other ways.

Sometimes it is nerve-racking to see how PWDs struggle through life and yet they continue to face inequality and discrimination because of their disability.

There is no doubt that many of the PWDs have been left behind in society and unless deliberate efforts are made to support them, they would continue to be left behind.

We commend the government and the minister for their support for the PWDs but without the support of the entire society, they would continue to face discrimination.

Already there appears to be lack of equal opportunities especially in education and employment as well as a wide range of areas.

Our inability to uphold the disabled people's rights is worrying. Disabled people continue to struggle to access buildings, public transport among others, in spite of laws that make it mandatory for us to provide them with those facilities.

While we commend the minister for reminding us once again not to mimic the disabled in movies, we urge government to do more to help the public to reduce discrimination against PWDs.

Failure to do that would deepen the perception that disabled people are different from "normal people".

Let's change the narrative by protecting the rights and providing equal opportunities for PWDs.

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