Stories – Thematic

Vivian Dede Nartey was born on September 18, 1966 in Agoteme Opagame of the Volta region, hailing from the Ewe ethnic group. Her mother, Florence Adwoa Asare, and father, Vincent Nartey, come from Okagyakrom and Agoteme Opagame respectively in Ghana. Currently, Vivian lives at Kpando with her nine siblings where their father works as a […]

Steven Amponsah Nketia was born August 20, 1948 to Mr. John Kwabena Nketia and Mrs. Hannah Ofobi in a farming community in Akim Oda, situated in the Eastern region of Ghana. He hails from the Akyem ethnic group, a sub-group of the Akan. His father was a sanitary inspector and health worker and his mother […]

Prince Akonnor, who is 43 years old and belongs to the Ewe ethnic group, hails from Ho in Volta Region. He grew up together with his four siblings and his parents, though his father has passed away. Both of Akonnor’s parents were involved in trading. Akonnor started his early education at Prince of Peace Preparatory […]

Obiri Yeboah was born at Bekawi Bogyawe. At the age of five Yeboah lost the ability to walk after receiving an injection for an illness. Both before and during his time with the GSPD Yeboah worked as a tailor. He joined the organization near the beginning of its formation. He helped to spread the GSPD […]

We interviewed Naomi in her home in a town in Ghana’s Eastern Region.  In the interview she told us about her experience raising a son with severe cerebral palsy, and the lack of support form her husband and his family: “My son was in born in 2006.  When I was going to labour the nurses […]

Michael Owusu Asante was born in Accra on August 6, 1954 and hails from Anum in the Eastern region. His family moved to Accra Newtown when he was two in 1956 and remained there to date. He has ten siblings; seven brothers and three sisters, though one has passed on. In 1960 when Asante was […]

Mrs. Gertrude Oforiwa Fefoame was born on September 23, 1957. Her parents, Dr. Edward Owusu Menu, an Entomologist, and Mrs. Victoria Owusu Menu, an Educationist, hailed from the Akan ethnic group in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Fefoame is the eldest of eight siblings. Although she was part of a nuclear family, her early life […]

George Firimpong was born in Cape Coast on March 18, 1958 to Mrs. Martha Thompson and Mr. Albert Firimpong who was a former manager of shell petroleum. In addition, he has two sisters. He attended Phillip Kwaku Boys Primary School and moved to Abesam Memorial school and furthered his education in Adisadel college in 1971. […]

Eric Kwobla Ofori was born in July 1960 at Vaneh near Ho in the Volta region of Ghana. He belongs to the Ewe ethnic group and is the eldest of five children born to Madam Anni Gbagbo and Rev. Daniel Kwame Ofori of the Methodist Church. Due to his father’s profession as a Minister of […]

Emma is a hairstylist and “multi-trader,” trading everything from sandals to charcoal to make a living.  

This is the story of Edward Narh Tawiah, or Kofi, a fifty-two-year-old man from Tafo near Kumasi who lost a leg in a motorbike accident in 2008. His story highlights the difficulties he faced during recovery, the amount of support he has received from family and friends, and how disabled people have been treated by […]

Ebenezer Appiuh Karlong was born on September 21, 1944 in Manyoro, a farming community near Navrongo in the upper East region of Ghana, to a family of five. He went to Ajumako Local Authority School in the Afram Plains of the Eastern region where his father was a migrant farmer. Karlong furthered his education at […]

David Akpo was born in Akim Oda in the village of Kwanten. At the age of ten he lost the ability to use his legs and was given crutches and calipers to help him walk afterwards. Akpo joined the Disability Scouts in 1975 and worked at a primary school in the Ako Adjei area before […]

D6 and his twin brother were both born deaf. After discovering this, D6’s parents sought various cures for the deafness, though without success. D6 was then enrolled in a school for the deaf where his step-father taught, and he is currently in senior high school. Here he discusses his experiences growing up as a deaf […]

D5 was born able to hear, but became deaf at a young age. As she says, “I was sent to prayer camps and hospitals for a cure, but all to no avail.” From that early age, D5 has navigated life as a deaf person. “[M]y father went to Winneba to look for a school for […]

D19 was born deaf, along with two of her five siblings. Now married to a deaf man, D19 has daughters of her own. Below, she describes her family life and living with deafness. “Though my parents seemed to love all of us, they paid more attention to our hearing siblings than us. Because we are […]

D15 was born able to hear, but an illness at a young age caused her deafness. She is currently in junior high school, enrolled at a school for the deaf in Koforidua. Below, she explains how she and her family have navigated the impact of her hearing loss. “I am supported by my family. My […]

D13 was born with the ability to hear, but an illness at a young age resulted in his deafness. D13 is now a carpenter at a furniture company, but he has concerns about receiving the support he needs to establish his own business. Below are his reflections on the experience of hearing loss. “When [my […]

We met Charles on an overcast day in the Eastern Region of Ghana. In the excerpt below he describes the source of his disability and challenges of education for disabled children: “I am almost fifty-nine years old. My disability started when I was young, according to my mother I was three years old. She said […]

Edited by Cameron Baer This is the first of twenty anonymous testimonies collected in the Eastern Region from blind interviewees in February-March, 2018. “I was at Sefwi when I first experienced trouble with my sight. Visits to a number of hospitals quickly confirmed a diagnosis with glaucoma. Despite efforts to combat the illness, it was […]

Agor Ablor was born in 1934. At the age of three he developed polio and was taken to the hospital. There he was given an injection for measles, and afterwards became paralysed in both legs. Ablor worked for civil service in 1961, before joining the GSPD as the Vice President of the Accra area. After […]