Graduates with disabilities are calling for an end to what they describe as systemic discrimination in employment opportunities, insisting that they are not seeking sympathy but equal recognition and access to opportunities available to other citizens.
The Convenor of the Coalition of Unemployed Graduates with Disabilities, Gilbert Boateng Ayare in an interview on Joy Prime, educated that persons with disabilities have the skills, qualifications and capacity to contribute meaningfully to national development when given the necessary support.
Speaking on the concerns of unemployed graduates with disabilities, Mr. Ayare stressed that their demand is not for preferential treatment but for fairness and inclusion.
“We are not asking for charity. We are asking for what is due us because we are also part of the system. We form part of the country. We vote, we pay taxes, and quite a number of us are responsible citizens.”
He argued that persons with disabilities continue to face unnecessary barriers despite possessing the required academic qualifications and professional abilities.
According to him, the sharing of national opportunities must not exclude persons with disabilities because of assumptions about their capabilities.
“We don’t see why, at the end of the day, when we are sharing the national cake, there should be a systemic attempt to discriminate against us.”
Mr. Ayare cited the example of a graduate with a degree in Social Work from the University of Ghana, explaining that her disability does not limit her ability to perform effectively in the workplace.
He said the key requirement is providing the appropriate tools and working environment to enable persons with disabilities to deliver their best.
“If you give her a laptop, she can function as anybody in every office. As I am here, I can function as anyone elsewhere, working for government.”
The coalition says many qualified graduates with disabilities remain unemployed despite their educational backgrounds, as they continue to encounter barriers during recruitment processes and in professional spaces.
They are therefore calling for stronger enforcement of disability inclusion policies and a more deliberate approach towards creating equal opportunities in Ghana’s labour market.
For Mr. Ayare and the coalition, the conversation is not about receiving favours but ensuring that persons with disabilities are recognised as capable citizens whose contributions are essential to the country’s progress.
