Stranded: How students with disability face challenges in pursuit of higher education  

Nearly two decades after Ghana’s Disability Act came into force, many students with disabilities are still facing challenges in navigating campuses that were not designed to accommodate them.

Despite promises of inclusivity for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs), physical barriers, inaccessible facilities, and systemic neglect continue to overshadow their academic journeys.

When Ametor Ellah Korku Avumatsodo, who uses a wheelchair, secured admission to the University of Ghana, Legon, in 2022, he anticipated a fulfilling academic experience. Reality, however, proved disappointing.

“I was so excited about starting university,” Ellah recalls. “But after my admission, I started facing some problems.”

At the university’s Jones Quartey Building (JQB) (a major lecture venue), there is no elevator. Ellah cannot attend lectures on the upper floors, leaving him dependent on lecturers’ Powerpoint slides without the benefit of in-person explanations.

“In level 100, there was a lecture session where the lecturers gave tips for upcoming exams,” he recalls. “I called the lecturer to explain I couldn’t access the hall because I use a wheelchair, but all he said was, ‘It’s quite unfortunate, but I can’t do anything about it.’”

That day, Ellah traveled from Nsawam to campus but missed the crucial preparatory session.

“It hurt me a lot that I had to go back with nothing but my slides,” he says.

Even basic facilities like washrooms pose a challenge. Because they are not wheelchair-accessible, Ellah resorts to using a nearby fuel station whenever nature calls. “Every day is a struggle,” Ellah says with a sigh.

Crawling to class

At the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Saviour Freeman Korto, a Bachelor of Education student, must often resort to extreme measures such as crawling up staircases when the elevators break down.

“Go to our lecture theatres, and sometimes you’ll be told the lift isn’t working. The top floor of our main library also requires climbing the stairs,” he explains bitterly. “How you get there is your own issue.”

His story underlines a grim reality for many students with disabilities: systemic neglect forces them to confront physical and emotional hurdles just to access higher education.

“We can’t solve the problem unless we all become disabled persons,” Saviour says with frustration. “We have laws on paper, but they aren’t enforced.”

While Ellah and Saviour grapple with physical barriers, Francis Galley, a visually impaired UCC student, struggles with inadequate lecture-hall equipment. Faulty microphones and limited speaker systems make it difficult for him to follow lectures.

“I learn by listening, and many lecturers don’t speak up. Some say it’s not their job to shout,” he laments. “But it is their duty to deliver lessons in a way we can all understand.”

At the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), Isaiah Ofori, another visually impaired student, highlights difficulties in locating and using washrooms that lack clear signage and handrails. Poorly maintained pathways worsen the challenge of navigating campus, and the absence of a shuttle service forces him to traverse unsafe routes on foot.

Isaiah’s plight aligns with a 2020 study revealing that visually impaired students at UEW struggle with inaccessible libraries and learning materials. Many course texts are unavailable in suitable formats; the braille library often produces only sections of books, and there’s a critical shortage of assistive devices.

Unfulfilled promises of the Disability Act

On June 23, 2006, Ghana’s Parliament passed the Persons with Disability Act (Act 715), aiming to guarantee comfort, dignity, and equal opportunities. It led to the establishment of the National Council on Persons with Disability, sought to implement rights under Article 29 of the 1992 constitution, and paved the way for ratifying international human rights instruments like the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

In theory, Act 715 has raised awareness of disability rights. Some public sector workers with disabilities receive allowances, and the Act has spurred conversations about inclusion. Yet, enforcement lags, leaving major gaps between policy and practice.

According to the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), the 2021 Population and Housing Census found that approximately 8% of Ghana’s population (about 2,098,138 individuals) live with some form of disability. Despite such figures, barriers remain, even as the John Mahama government promises free tertiary education for persons with disabilities in its manifesto.

But Dr. Peter Partey Anti, Executive Director of the Institute of Education Studies (IFEST) and a senior lecturer at UCC, believes that simply removing tuition fees is insufficient.

“It’s not just about saying students with disabilities can attend for free,” he argues. “They need support systems like assistive devices, accessible lecture halls, and learning materials. Otherwise, they will remain frustrated on campus.”

Without these provisions, Dr. Anti warns, free tertiary education could merely increase enrollment without removing ongoing obstacles. He urges the government to engage university administrators, such as vice-chancellors and the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), to better understand and address the challenges before implementing a cost-free policy.

“Students with disabilities often do not get the special exam arrangements or accessible classrooms they’re entitled to.”

Lack of political will and awareness

The Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD) says the educational system’s infrastructure hardly accounts for the needs of persons with disabilities. Abdul Wahab Adam, Disability Inclusion and Governance Advisor at GFD, points to widespread ignorance of Act 715 among both the public and building contractors as one major challenge.

“Facilities are planned without persons with disabilities in mind,” he says. “Even though we have the law, many people don’t know about it, and enforcement is weak.”

Mr. Wahab also notes the government’s slow approach to disability-related policies. Despite frequent commitments, little gets done, partly because such measures are seen as costly.

“If there was a disability policy that brought revenue like e-levy, it would pass quickly,” he observes. “E-levy became law in months, but we’ve been trying to amend the Disability Act since 2019, and we’re still not done.”

GFD has also repeatedly engaged the government to advocate for inclusive infrastructure and policies, sometimes petitioning specific agencies to ensure buildings are made accessible but to no avail, according to Mr. Wahab.

Universities’ response

The head of the Centre for Disabilities and Advocacy at the University of Ghana, Dr. Peter Ndaa, says that while the university has made some strides, major gaps remain, particularly in accessible transportation and buildings.

“Students in wheelchairs struggle to get to top floors because many of our buildings lack lifts,” he explains. “It’s heartbreaking to see them miss lectures or meetings simply because [they are held in areas that are inaccessible for disabled people].”

Dr. Ndaa also notes a drop in the number of students with disabilities from the 2022/2023 academic year to 2023/2024.

“We had about 227 students with disabilities in 2022/2023, but only 158 this year,” he says. “We need to find out why that number is declining.”

Oversight and accreditation

According to Harry Kwame Opoku, Head of Institutional Accreditation at the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), accessibility is part of the assessment criteria for accrediting tertiary institutions. When institutions fail to provide disability-friendly structures, GTEC requests action plans with clear timelines.

“We can’t always force them to rebuild immediately. It’s costly and time-consuming,” he says. “But they must commit to making the changes.”

Mr. Opoku would like local authorities to get involved and be more proactive to ensure the provision of facilities and infrastructure for students with disabilities.

“Assemblies should ensure every new building accommodates persons with disabilities. If they enforced those rules strictly, we’d resolve many of these issues at the foundation,” he says.

Way forward

For countless students with disabilities in Ghana, higher education remains a battleground of broken elevators, inaccessible washrooms, and inadequate learning tools. Even with Act 715 and a government pledge of free tertiary education, real progress requires the collective commitment of policymakers, university administrators, local authorities, and the broader public.

“Disability is not a curse but a hindrance in our environment,” says Saviour, reflecting on his daily struggles at UCC. “If we do not build systems and structures for everyone, we exclude people who can and want to contribute to our society.”

From Ellah’s long ride back to Nsawam without critical exam guidance to Francis’s struggle to hear lecturers in poorly equipped halls, these stories illustrate the gap between Ghana’s inclusive rhetoric and the nation’s on-the-ground reality. To bridge it, stakeholders must transform policies into practical changes, ensuring that, in the pursuit of higher education, no student is left behind or forced to crawl, literally and metaphorically, toward success.

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Editor’s note: Mr. Abdul Wahab Adam, who is quoted in the story, sadly passed away on 20th January, 2025 – a few weeks after generously sharing his time and insights. He was a passionate advocate of disability rights in Ghana. May he rest in peace.