Human Rights of Students with Disabilities in Ghana: Accessibility of the University Built Environment

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article addresses two important human rights issues: disability rights and the right to education. Inclusive education requires accessible built teaching environments. However, few empirical studies address the accessibility of university built environments in a human rights context. The case study involved a normative empirical approach in which questionnaires and interviews were used to ascertain the perceptions of persons with disabilities (PWDs) about the built environment of selected universities in Ghana and the priority given to persons with disabilities in administrative decision-making about accessibility. This study reveals some of the challenges many university students face in terms of communication, transportation and physical environment. The study shows that students perceive that the university administration treats the concerns of students with disabilities as an afterthought. This is arguably the result of (and made worse by) a weak legal and regulatory framework. Based on these findings, this article will provide recommendations that may help protect the rights of students with disabilities. These include the need for the universities to enact and enforce policies pertaining to persons with disabilities and for the National Accreditation Board to review its accreditation standards.