Empowerment of Persons with Visual Impairment in Ghana

Formed by the Ghana Society for the Blind, The Ghana Material Resource Centre for the Disabled, and the Mampong Akwapim Deaf/Blind School, this CBM-supported project provides essential training for blind and visually impaired adults and children in two regions of Ghana.

The Ghana Society for the Blind is a well established organisation based in Accra, from where it provides services to visually impaired people throughout the country.

The Ghana Material Resource Centre for the Disabled is situated in the heart of Accra and has its own advisory board. The centre makes a wide selection of materials available for the visually impaired either to individuals or to institutions. Some medical consumables, including intraocular lenses are also available.

The Mampong Akwapim Deaf/Blind School is situated in Ghana's eastern region and is owned and operated by the Special Education Division of the Ghana Education Service. CBM supports the deaf-blind unit attached to the school, which provides one-to-one training to deaf-blind children. It is the only facility of its kind in Ghana and children come from all over the country.

Improving the quality of life

All of these projects have a common aim - improving the quality of life of the visually impaired people in Ghana.

In the future, it is envisaged that the Ghana Association of the Blind will join up with the Ghana Society for the Blind, thus increasing their advocacy voice.

CBM is supporting the following initiatives:

• Training 60 blind and visually impaired adults in mobility and orientation training in two regions of Ghana
• Supporting individual aid of 10 deaf-blind children
• Supporting the training of repairing Braille machines