The Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715) of the Republic of Ghana: The Law, Omissions and Recommendations

Abstract

The passage of the Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715) has been considered a noteworthy milestone in Ghana’s human rights discourse because it gives the hope that it will improve the life of persons with disability (PWDs) to enable them be part of mainstream society. Though the Act covers key thematic provisions such as rights, accessibility, employment and education for PWDs amongst others, it has been criticized on the grounds that it has no provision on non-discrimination, the gender dimension of discrimination, rights of children with disability and legal definition of disability. Using secondary data such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (UNCRPD) as well as disability legislations and policies of other countries in Africa, this paper argues that there are still glaring omissions in Act 715, some of which comprises housing for PWDs, voting rights of PWDs and liability of construction professionals. This paper proposes a stakeholder discussion of these omissions and the recommendations provided by critics and the outcome thereof should be considered in the event that policy actors decide to amend the Act. This is not to conclude that addressing these omissions will put an end to the scores of challenges confronting PWDs in Ghana but rather to ensure that Act 715 becomes robust and responsive to the needs and concerns of PWDs.

Keywords: persons with disability, housing, voting rights, construction professionals, Act 715