UNIVERSITY OF GHANA 
 
 
 
 
 
EXISTING SOCIAL SUPPORT SERVICES AND THE WELL-BEING OF CHILDREN 
WITH DISABILITY IN KADJEBI DISTRICT 
 
 
BY 
 
INNOCENT KWABLA AGBOLOSOO 
(10162289) 
 
 
THIS DISSERTATION IS SUBMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON 
IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF 
MASTER OF ARTS IN SOCIAL POLICY STUDIES DEGREE. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MAY, 2014.
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DECLARATION 
I hereby solemnly declare that, except for references to other peoples‟ work, which have been 
duly acknowledged, this dissertation is the result of my own research work carried out in the 
Centre for Social Policy Studies (CSPS) under the supervision of Mr. Daniel Doh. 
 
 
Sign ………………………………   Date …………………………….. 
Innocent Kwabla Agbolosoo 
(Student) 
 
 
 
 
 
Sign ……………………………    Date ……………………………… 
Mr. Daniel Doh 
(Supervisor) 
 
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DEDICATION 
I dedicate this work to the fond memory of my late father – Mr. Martin Komla Agbolosu who 
defied all difficulty in life to give all his children good and quality education. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 
The product of academic excellence is not achieved through the hard work and commitment of 
only one person but through the combined effort of some dedicated individuals. My first thank 
goes to the Almighty God for His protection over me throughout this period of education.  
I am also grateful to my able and competent supervisor – Mr. Daniel Doh for his fatherly and 
professional mentoring and advice. I remain forever indebted to you. My lovely and sweet wife – 
Ms Stella Akpene Norgbey and my two sons (Jonathan Elikem Adzah and Joel Elinam Adzah) 
need to be appreciated for their support and inspiration that really inspired me when situations 
became really tough. 
To all my course mates, lecturers and staff at the Centre for Social Policy Studies, particularly 
Ms. Rosemary Mantey, I am extremely grateful for your words of encouragement and supports 
throughout the period of this course.  
May God Richly Bless You All. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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ABSTRACT 
This study seeks to examine the contribution that government social intervention programme, 
specifically Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP), National Health Insurance Scheme 
(NHIS) and Free Uniform and Exercise Book Policy have made to the well being of children 
with disability in the Kadjebi District of the Volta Region. It also investigated the informal social 
support services in the study area for the wellbeing of children with disability. Thirdly, the study 
reviewed some existing international and national legislations and how these influenced the work 
of some key institution to promote the welfare of children in Ghana. 
The study took place in two (2) Traditional Areas and four (4) communities in the Kadjebi 
District. Multi-Stage Sampling Method was used to select the Traditional Areas and the 
communities for the study and Random Sampling and Purposive Sampling Method were used to 
select the schools and children with disability respectively. Quantitative and Qualitative 
Approaches were used for data collection and analysis. The study was developed within the 
framework of Social/Human Rights Model of Disability. 
The key findings of the study include the fact that children with disability are not been 
discriminated against in the health and educational institutions because they have equal access to 
social intervention programmes in the study area but rather suffers discrimination within the 
family system. The findings also revealed that the programmes have really contributed to their 
wellbeing. 
It is recommended that government departments and agencies in the study area intensify 
community sensitization to educate people on disability issues to reduce or even eliminate 
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discrimination within the family and community structures. Again, social intervention 
programmes should be extended to cover more children with disability in the District. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 
DECLARATION ............................................................................................................................. i 
DEDICATION ................................................................................................................................ ii 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ............................................................................................................. iii 
ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... iv 
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................... vi 
LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... ix 
LIST OF CHARTS ......................................................................................................................... x 
 
CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................................. 1 
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 
1.0 Background of the Study .......................................................................................................... 1 
1.2 Statement of Problem ................................................................................................................ 3 
1.3 Objectives of the Study ............................................................................................................. 5 
1.4 Significance/Rationale of Study ............................................................................................... 5 
1.4 Conceptual/Theoretical Framework .......................................................................................... 7 
 
CHAPTER TWO ............................................................................................................................ 9 
LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................... 9 
2.0 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 9 
2.1 Exploring Definitions of Disability .......................................................................................... 9 
2.2 The Issue of Language and Disability .................................................................................... 11 
2.3 Types/Forms of Disability ...................................................................................................... 12 
2.4 What is Child Disability? ........................................................................................................ 12 
2.5 What is Well-being ................................................................................................................. 13 
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2.6 Causes of Child Disability ...................................................................................................... 13 
2.7 Some Statistics about Children with Disability ...................................................................... 15 
2.8 Children with Disability and Social Protection Interventions in Ghana ................................. 16 
 
CHAPTER THREE ...................................................................................................................... 18 
METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................................... 18 
3.0. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 18 
3.1. Research Design..................................................................................................................... 18 
3.2. Study Area ............................................................................................................................. 19 
3.3. Population, Sample Size and Sampling Technique ............................................................... 19 
3.4. Data Processing and Analysis ................................................................................................ 21 
3.5. Ethical Considerations ........................................................................................................... 22 
3.6. Limitation of the Study. ......................................................................................................... 23 
 
CHAPTER FOUR ......................................................................................................................... 24 
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS ............................................................................................... 24 
4.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 24 
4.1 Demographic and Sample Characteristics .............................................................................. 24 
4.3 Formal Social Support Mechanisms and its Contribution to the Well-being Children with 
Disability ....................................................................................................................................... 27 
4.3.1 Children with Disability and the National Health Insurance Scheme ................................. 27 
4.3.2 Children with Disability and Free Exercise Book and Uniform Policy............................... 29 
4.5 Children with Disability and Health Facility in Community .................................................. 33 
4.6 Children with Disability and the Ghana School Feeding Programme .................................... 34 
4.7 Effects of Policies on Children with disability .................................................................. 35 
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4.8 Children with Disability and their Family‟s Contribution ................................................. 39 
4.3 Informal Support Services for Promoting the Well-being of Children with Disability. ......... 42 
4.4 Legislations and Programmes for Promotion of the Well-being of Children with Disability 45 
 
CHAPTER FIVE .......................................................................................................................... 57 
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS. .................................................. 57 
5.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 57 
5.1 Summary ................................................................................................................................. 57 
5.2 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 59 
5.3 Recommendations ................................................................................................................... 60 
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 63 
APPENDICES .............................................................................................................................. 65 
 
 
 
 
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LIST OF TABLES 
 
Table 1: Sample Characteristics........................................................................................... 25  
Table 2: The Classes of Respondents................................................................................... 26 
Table 3: NHIS Card usage and Treatment seeking among Children with Disability............ 29 
Table 4: Beneficiary of the Free School Uniform and Free Exercise Book Policy  
  Class Cross Tabulation............................................................................................ 31 
Table 5: I am Treated with respect just like any other child in my family........................... 39 
Table 6: My family does not discriminate against me because of my disability................. 42 
 
 
 
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LIST OF CHARTS 
 
Chart 1: Knowledge of Local Registration Agent................................................................ 28 
Chart 2: Are you aware of Free School Uniform and Exercise Book Policy?..................... 30 
Chart 3: Beneficiary of the Free School Uniform and Free Exercise Book Policy?............ 31 
Chart 4: Are you treated without discrimination?................................................................ 34 
Chart 5: Beneficiaries of GSFP............................................................................................ 35 
Chart 6: These programmes are relevant to the needs of children with disability............... 37 
Chart 7: These programmes positively affect the lives of children with disability.............. 38 
Chart 8: These programmes have contributed to my well-being as a child with disability.. 38 
Chart 9:  My family provides my needs................................................................................ 41 
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CHAPTER ONE 
INTRODUCTION 
1.0 Background of the Study 
This study examines the effect of some government social intervention programmes (Ghana 
School Feeding Programme, National Health Insurance Scheme and Free School Uniform and 
Exercise Policy) on the well-being of children with disability in the Kadjebi District of the Volta 
Region. The level of awareness concerning these services among parents with children with 
disability has also been investigated. The background and the relevance of the study are 
contained in this chapter as well as the study objectives and the problem statement.                                                                                                                         
 
There are persons with disabilities in all parts of the world and at all levels in every society. 
There the issue of disability has received tremendous attention in the last decade with many 
advocates calling for their total inclusion in the development process of every country. 
Persons with disability (PWDs) are part of every society. They can be men, women or children. 
The only thing that distinguishes a person with disability is that those with disabilities may be 
unable to do certain things in the same way that most people in the mainstream society do 
without some form of adoption or alternative assistance (Abena Bemah, 2012). Disability results 
from the interaction between one‟s bodily impairment and the inappropriate and unfriendly basic 
structures of society. 
World Health Organization (WHO) has identified 7 different types of disabilities. These include; 
people who are blind or partially sighted, people with learning or intellectual disabilities, people 
who are deaf or hearing impaired, people with a physical disability, people with chronic 
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illnesses, people with mental health or psychological difficulties, people with an acquired brain 
injury  
 
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are more than 600 million PWDs in 
the world, of which approximately 80% live in low-income countries. In 1999, the World Bank 
estimated that people with disabilities may account for as many as one in five of the world‟s 
poorest people. In most developing countries, including Ghana, PWDs constitute an 
impoverished marginalized group, characterised by lack of access to public health, education, 
and other social services that would ideally support and protect PWDs. WHO also estimated that 
about 10% of every country‟s population is disabled. 
 
There is an implicit assumption that each type of disability has specific health, educational, 
rehabilitation, social, and support needs (World Disability Report, 2011). 
Children with disability are among the most vulnerable, excluded and disadvantaged in Ghana 
population due to factors such as institutional barriers, negative cultural and traditional practices. 
Disabled children require not only high quality primary care, but they often require multifaceted 
specialized care on a long-term basis (Reichman, Corman and Kelly, 2007). The functioning of a 
child should be seen not in isolation but in the context of the family and the social environment 
(World Disability Report, 2011). In this direction, government all over world have made 
attempts to provide some social intervention for this group of people to alleviate their plight. 
Ghana like any other country implemented some programmes to improve the well-being of this 
vulnerable segment of her population. 
 
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Estimates of the prevalence of children with disabilities vary substantially depending on the def-
inition and measure of disability. The Global Burden of Disease estimates the number of children 
aged 0–14 years experiencing “moderate or severe disability” at 93 million (5.1%), with 13 
million (0.7%) children experiencing severe difficulties. In 2005 the United Nations Children‟s 
Fund (UNICEF) estimated the number of children with disabilities under age 18 at 150 million.  
 
A recent review of the literature in low- and middle-income countries reports child disability 
prevalence from 0.4% to 12.7% depending on the study and assessment tool (World Disability 
Report, 2011). 
 
It is evident from this staggering statistics that disability issues must be taken seriously.  
This study seeks to find out the correlation between the support systems (the health, education, 
family support etc) and the well-being of children with disability in their community. And this 
will be done by measuring the effect of National Health Insurance Scheme, Ghana School 
Feeding Programme, Free School Uniform and Exercise Book Policy on the health and 
educational status of children with disability in the District. 
1.2 Statement of Problem 
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 10 per cent of the world‟s children 
and young people, some 200million, have sensory, intellectual or mental health impairment. 
Around 80 per cent of them live in developing countries (UNICEF, 2007). 
Despite being more vulnerable to developmental risks, young children with disabilities are often 
overlooked in mainstream programmes and services designed to ensure child development. 
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With this staggering statistics, it is evidently clear that children with disability form substantial 
part of every country‟s population but there is doubt as to how the local governance system, 
social intervention programmes such Health Insurance, School Feeding Programme and Free 
School Uniform and Exercise Policy as well as the family and the community support systems 
ensure the well-being of the disabled child in the Kadjebi District of the Volta Region. 
 
Community support institutions like the family, healthcare, education etc exist in the 
communities to promote the welfare of all including children with disability. These services are 
essential and must complement each other to ensure the total well-being of the disabled child.  
It is however difficult to get reliable information on these support systems in the communities 
and more importantly the correlation between these facilities and the overall well-being of 
children with disability among children in Ghana and for that matter Kadjebi District. What is 
also not clear is whether children with disability are actually discriminated against because of 
superstitious beliefs or it is simply because of the fact that the essential support services are not 
tailored to provide the appropriate support for them. Also, there is inadequate data on children 
with disability in the Kadjebi District and this has really affected policy formulation and 
implementation on disability issues in the District.  
 
This study therefore aims at filling this information gap because persons with disability form 
substantial part of our country and any attempt to disregard them in the development agenda will 
have negative effect on the fortunes of the nation. There is therefore the need to have adequate 
information about them and incorporate their special needs in the development agenda of our 
nation. 
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1.3 Objectives of the Study 
This study has three basic objectives. These are: 
1. To examine the provisions within the existing legislations, programmes/policies for the 
well-being of children with disability in Ghana. 
2. To examine awareness on formal support services and their effect on children with 
disability. 
3. To investigate informal support services in the Kadjebi District for promoting the well-
being (food, clothes and shelter) of children with disability. 
1.4 Significance/Rationale of Study 
The daily reality of life for children with disabilities and their families is frequently one of 
discrimination and exclusion, in all countries of the world. The discrimination they endure could 
be direct, indirect, or a combination of the two (UNICEF, 2007). Direct discrimination takes 
place when a child with a disability is deliberately treated differently from a child without 
disability, on the basis of his or her impairment. Indirect discrimination occurs when practices or 
policies that do not immediately appear to discriminate against children with disabilities actually 
have a discriminatory impact in practice, resulting in the denial of certain human rights 
(UNICEF, 2007).   
First and foremost, the study seeks to examine and test this statement made by UNICEF about 
how children with disability are discriminated against by significant others and even policies and 
programmes. The study will also throw more light on the specific provisions in the international, 
national laws and conventions on children with disability. Also, the study will contribute to 
knowledge on disability issues especially in the Kadjebi District. Parents‟ awareness on the 
formal mechanism for protecting children with disability would also be examined by the study. 
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Apart from that, there is no in-depth study on the effect of formal support services like National 
Health Insurance Scheme, Ghana School Feeding Programme and Free School Uniform and 
Exercise Book Policy and support on the welfare and well being of children with disability in the 
District. 
The actual contribution of community structures (informal) to the overall well-being of children 
with disability is also under investigations by the study. It seeks also to bring out some of the 
challenges confronting the disabled child in the Kadjebi District in order to inform policy 
formulation and implementation on disability issues in the District. 
 
The findings of this study will also help organizations of disabled people to do effective 
advocacy in order to promote the welfare of the disabled child in a more focused manner. 
At the District level, the key findings of this research will help the Kadjebi District Assembly 
and Nkwanta-South District Assembly and any District around the research area to come out 
with exclusive bye-laws on the treatment of the disabled child. 
 
The findings of the study will also be of immense value to other non-state actors such non-
governmental and community-based organizations such as World Vision Ghana, Women Rights 
Advocacy Network (WRAN), Network of Communities in Development (NOCID) and other 
community groups operating in the District on disability issues in terms of targeting and 
programming.  
 
At the community level, the findings of this study will enable the Disability Funds Management 
Committee and the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development and other civil 
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society organizations in the District to embark on rigorous sensitization campaigns to promote 
the well-being of children with disability. Parents, guardians and caretakers of disable children 
will also be taught good parenting skills. 
1.4 Conceptual/Theoretical Framework 
In order to conceptualize and compare different ways of thinking and talking about disability, 
certain analytical frameworks or mindsets have been established. Disability conceptualization 
takes place within at least two different paradigms (World Bank, 2007). 
There are two major schools of thought about understanding disability.  On one end of the scale 
is medical or individual oriented model and the other, social or human rights model.  The 
medical or individual model locates the 'problem' of disability within the individual and sees the 
causes of this problem as resulting from the functional limitations or psychological losses which 
are assumed to arise from disability. VSO, 2009 noted that the person with a disability is in the 
sick role under the medical model. When people are sick, they are excused from the normal 
obligations of society: going to school, getting a job, taking on family responsibilities, etc. They 
are also expected to come under the authority of the medical profession in order to get better. 
The social or human right model focuses on the role of society in gaining equality for all its 
citizens including people with disabilities without them being seen a people with „special needs‟.  
Within this model, society has a responsibility to address barriers that prevent the participation of 
persons with disabilities. Within this model, society has a responsibility to address barriers that 
prevent the participation of persons with disabilities (World Bank, 2007).The focus therefore 
shifts from fixing individuals to eliminating socially constructed barriers. 
This study was developed within the domain of social or human right model as it seeks to 
investigate the actual effect of some governmental social protection programmes on the well-
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being of children with disability. The enjoyment of equal opportunities by children with 
disability is a human right issue and enshrined in our national as well as international laws, 
conventions and other agreements.  
 
 
 
 
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CHAPTER TWO 
LITERATURE REVIEW 
2.0 INTRODUCTION 
The major purpose of this chapter is to discuss some key issues of disability and also review 
existing literature on what disability is, the types and the causes. The chapter will also highlight 
some statistics regarding the subject as well as conceptualize child disability. The issue of social 
protection/intervention and children with disability is also discussed in this chapter. 
2.1 Exploring Definitions of Disability 
There is no universally accepted definition of the term „disability‟. As such, its definition varies 
from culture to culture and changes over time. According to the World Health Organization 
(WHO), disability is “any restriction or lack (resulting from any impairment) of ability to 
perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being".  
A disability includes those that: 
 are present, or 
 once existed but don't any more, for example, a person who has had a back injury, a heart 
attack or an episode of mental illness, or 
 may exist in the future, for example, a person with a genetic predisposition to a disease, 
such as Huntington's disease or heart disease or a person who is HIV positive, or 
 someone thinks or assumes a person has. 
In 1980, WHO adopted an international classification of impairments, disabilities and 
handicaps, which suggested a more precise and at the same time relativistic approach. The 
International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities, and Handicaps made a clear 
distinction between "impairment", "disability" and "handicap".  
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Generally, abusive words are used to describe persons with disability and these descriptions also 
have crippling effect on them in terms of human rights and dignity.  Accordingly, WHO in 1976 
cautioned that terms such as cripple, spastic, handicapped, invalid are derogatory, offensive and 
should be avoided. In addition, as result of the experience gained in the implementation of the 
World Programme of Action and of the general discussion that took place during the United 
Nations Decade of Disabled Persons, there was a deepening of knowledge and extension of 
understanding concerning disability issues and the terminology used (WHO, 1976).  It has been 
extensively used in areas such as rehabilitation, education, statistics, policy, legislation, 
demography, sociology, economics and anthropology. 
The organization draws a three-fold distinction between impairment, disability and handicap, 
defined as follows. 'An impairment is any loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological or 
anatomical structure or function; a disability is any restriction or lack (resulting from an 
impairment) of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered 
normal for a human being; a handicap is a disadvantage for a given individual ,resulting from an 
impairment or a disability, that prevents the fulfilment of a role that is considered normal 
(depending on age, sex and social and cultural factors) for that individual' 
Article 1 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (UNCRPD) 
defined “persons with disabilities as those who have long term physical, mental, intellectual or 
sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and 
effective participation in society on an equal basis with others”. 
According to the Persons with Disability Act (Act 715) of 2006, person with disability means an 
individual with a physical, mental or sensory impairment including a visual, hearing or speech 
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functional disability which gives rise to physical, cultural or social barriers that substantially 
limits one more of the major life activities of that individual.   
 
From the definitions considered so far, it is clear that PWDs are people with permanent or 
relatively permanent functional limitation and / or activity restriction. It must be noted however 
that, language is critical in shaping and reflecting our thoughts, beliefs, feelings and concepts. 
Some words by their very nature degrade and diminish people with a disability (Hill Country 
Disabled Group). 
 
Many researchers noted that disability is a human right issue and from this perspective, Attafuah 
(2000), noted that disability generally describes a physiological state that is involuntary and has 
some degree of permanence as well as impairs the person‟s ability in some measure to carry out 
the normal functions of life. 
2.2 The Issue of Language and Disability 
 Terms such as cripple, spastic, handicapped, invalid are derogatory, offensive and we should 
avoid them. In addition, as result of the experience gained in the implementation of the World 
Programme of Action and of the general discussion that took place during the United Nations 
Decade of Disabled Persons, there was a deepening of knowledge and extension of 
understanding concerning disability issues and the terminology used (WHO, 1976). 
 
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2.3 Types/Forms of Disability 
There are different classifications of disability in literature. The WHO (1976) has identified 7 
different types of disabilities. These include; 
 people who are blind or partially sighted 
 people with learning or intellectual disabilities 
 people who are deaf or hearing impaired 
 people with a physical disability 
 people with long term illnesses 
 people with mental health or psychological difficulties 
 people with an acquired brain injury  
2.4 What is Child Disability? 
According to WHO(2012), children with disability refers to persons below the age of eighteen 
(18) who has any or  those with health conditions such as cerebral palsy, spinal bifida, muscular 
dystrophy, traumatic spinal cord injury, down syndrome, and those with hearing, visual, 
physical, communication and intellectual impairments. 
 
From the perspective of WHO, some children have a single impairment while others experience 
multiple impairments. For example a child with cerebral palsy may have mobility, 
communication and intellectual impairments. The complex interaction between a health 
condition or impairment and environmental and personal factors means that each child‟s 
experience of disability is different. 
 
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2.5 What is Well-being 
Well-being is explained differently in depending on the context. But it generally refers to a 
situation where all the necessary basic needs of life are in place to promote sustained survival 
and development This concept is conceptualised here to mean the state of affairs where 
educational, health and shelter needs are provided for a child with disability to the extent that 
he/she feels the effect of these on his/her life.  
2.6 Causes of Child Disability 
Traditionally, disability in Ghana and for that matter Kadjebi District is seen as a result of 
witchcraft, sorcery, „juju‟  and magic. Due to these beliefs, children with disability in our 
traditional communities are viewed with mixed feelings. Many people believe that parents could 
even spiritually exchange any part of the child‟s body with money such that the exchanged part 
of the child will become defective. Consequently, a rich family with a person who has any kind 
of bodily deformity is labelled “sikaduro” (juju money). Because of these belief systems, 
majority of Ghanaians have labelled PWDs as social misfits and outcasts (VSO, 2009).   
 
Because of these superstitious beliefs, parents with children with disability hide them in rooms 
and thus deny them access to basic social facilities such as health, education and recreational 
activities. 
Furthermore, many Ghanaians believe that disability and ill health are caused by witchcraft, evil 
spirits, or by not adhering to some taboos. Yankah (2009) noted that certain disabilities are 
considered as curses from the gods. This particularly had to do with insanity, the victim of which 
is sometimes referred to as „oyareabosom‟ (he has been afflicted by the gods). Because of this 
belief, people with disabilities are often seen as sinful. Mothers therefore feel guilty for having 
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given birth to disabled a child and are often blamed by others for causing the disability of their 
child.   
 
Research has however disproved the traditional causes of disability and broadly classified its 
causes into three groups: genetic/hereditary factors, biological (including age-related) factors and 
accidents. There is some overlap between the categories as there may be more than one cause of 
disability. Children are prone to disability before and after birth.   
 
Marfo (1986) identified major causes of disability as malnutrition, infections and non-
communicable somatic diseases that account for 50% of disability cases, as preventable. During 
prenatal period, an impact on mother's womb can harm the unborn child.  
 
If the mother gets infection or disease, the baby is also badly affected. During pregnancy if the 
mother suffers from any kind of nutritional deficiency, it can also lead to deficiency in the baby 
and as a result, the baby can be physically or mentally deformed. Also, during the process of 
delivery sometimes, many factors can lead to bad effect on the child. Difficulty in delivery can 
also cause temporary stoppage of oxygen supply to the brain of the baby.  
 
It damages nervous tissues of the brain or spinal cord and this effect is permanent. This can cause 
mental deficiency in the baby. Sometimes the baby becomes physically handicapped when  
doctors use various equipments during the delivery, for example, in forceps delivery, the 'brain' 
or 'nerve' is pressed by the forceps. If the doctor or nurse is not very well trained, they could also 
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cause damage to the baby. Sometimes children receive genes of disabilities or deficiencies from 
their parents. 
Besides that, if the child gets infectious diseases the immunity power of the child gets diminished 
and thus becomes susceptible to various diseases. Also, if the child is not properly immunized he 
becomes susceptible to infectious diseases like 'mumps' which can cause hearing impairment or 
'polio' which can cripple the child. Accidents are also major cause of child disability.  
 
In adult, cardiovascular diseases are still the number one cause of disability and death in Ghana, 
and this is more worrying because cardiovascular diseases constitute a bigger problem than all 
the other diseases making it very expensive to treat (Kwamin, 2008).  
 
On the other hand, poverty may increase the likelihood of disability and may also be a 
consequence of disability (WHO, 2012). 
2.7 Some Statistics about Children with Disability 
It is difficult to have reliable information on the actual number of children with disability in 
Ghana partly because there has not been comprehensive research in this area. However, WHO 
estimated that about ten percent (10%) of every country‟s population is disabled. Again, the 
prevalence of disability was 14.4 per 1,000 for children (1-5) years, 16.6 per 1000 for children 
(6-9) years and 3.7 per 1,000 for (10-15) years age group (Biritwum RB, Devres JP, Ofosu-
Amaah S, Marfo C, Essah ER, 2001).  
 
WHO however indicated that there are currently no reliable and representative estimates based 
on actual measurement of the number of children with disability. This is attributable to 
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differences in definitions and the wide range of methodologies and measurement instruments 
adopted. 
In the Kadjebi District, out of the total population of 59,303, 1,335 persons responded as having 
at least one form of disability and this constitute 2.3 percent of the population which is below the 
regional average of 4.3 percent. Out of this number, 241 are children, made up of 135 boys and 
106 girls (2010 Population and Housing Census).  
2.8 Children with Disability and Social Protection Interventions in Ghana 
It is the mandate of governments all over the world to provide social protection/intervention 
packages for people, especially the vulnerable population within its area of jurisdiction. It is also 
a divine assignment to help the less privileged in society in order to enjoy blessings from the 
Lord. In this regard, Ghana as an independent state has made several attempts to do this by 
implementing several social protection programmes in the past years. However her attempt was 
formalised in 2008 when the National Social Protection Strategy (NSPS) was launched to give 
new direction and vision to governmental services to the less privileged in society. 
 
The strategy is founded on the philosophy that all Ghanaians if accorded the opportunity can 
contribute towards the process of transforming Ghana into a middle income country by the year 
2015. According to the NSPS (2008), social protection/intervention consists of a set of formal 
and informal mechanisms directed towards the provision of social assistance and capacity 
enhancement to the vulnerable and excluded in society.  
 
In broad terms, such measures cover extremely poor individuals, households and communities, 
including those who need special care but lack access to basic social services and social 
 
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insurance to protect themselves from the risks and consequences of livelihood shocks, social 
inequities, social exclusion and denial of rights (NSPS, 2008). 
Social Protection thus goes beyond income support and includes the strengthening of social 
cohesion, human development, livelihoods and protection of rights and entitlements.  
The government‟s vision of social protection strategy is to create society in which the citizenry 
are duly empowered with the capacity to realize their rights and responsibilities to manage 
social, economic, political and cultural shocks (NSPS, 2008). 
 
This idea is really in line with the philosophy of human right/social model of disability which 
sees disability outside the person‟s bodily deformity and seeks to remove all discriminatory 
structures and practices so that disabled persons especially children can achieve their goals in life 
Social protection/intervention is really critical for children with disability because they are the 
most vulnerable in society and needs to be cushioned against shocks of life. Parental poverty is 
one of the critical predisposing factors to child vulnerability in Ghana. Disabled children are the 
worst victims under this circumstance because parents tend to provide the needs of other children 
in the family before that of disabled children. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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CHAPTER THREE 
METHODOLOGY 
3.0. Introduction 
This study examines the existing support services and the well-being of children with disability 
in the Kadjebi District. This chapter describes the target population, sample size and sampling 
technique that were used to select participants for the study. In addition, sampling method used 
and instruments used to gather data for analysis was also discussed. Finally, the chapter gave an 
account of how the data was analyzed.  
3.1. Research Design 
This is a participatory research design which combines both qualitative and quantitative 
approaches to data collection and analysis. This design is appropriate because the research 
involved the description of how the available support services notably the National Health 
Insurance Scheme, Ghana School Feeding Programme and Free Uniform and Exercise Book 
Policy interact with the well-being of disabled children within the study area. Typically the study 
involved focus group discussions and semi-structured survey guide to collect data. Again, key 
informant interview was conducted to purposively find out whether the provisions in the local 
and international laws which forms part of the mandate of some institutions in Ghana are 
actually contributing to the well-being of children with disability. Specifically, the District 
Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, the Scheme Manager 
of the National Health Insurance Scheme and the Desk Officer of the Department of Social 
Welfare and Community Development were involved in the discussions. 
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3.2. Study Area 
The Kadjebi District was created as an Assembly by Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 1465 in 1989.  
It is located in the lower belt of the Volta Region of Ghana and forms part of the six (6) northern 
Districts of the Region.  It is bordered to the North by the Nkwanta South, to the South by the 
Jasikan, to the South West by Biakoye and to the North West by Krachi East. It also has a long 
border eastwards with the Republic of Togo.    
 
According to the 2010 Population and Housing Census, the District has a total population of 
59303, made up of 29,951 (50.5%) males and 29,352(49.5%) females and total land area of 949 
km2. In relation to local governance, the Assembly consists of one constituency, thirty-six 
Electoral Areas, one Town Council and five Area Councils. The Town and Area Councils are 
Kadjebi, Ahamansu, Dodo-Amanfrom, Pampawie, Dodi-Papase and Asato. 
3.3. Population, Sample Size and Sampling Technique 
This study was conducted using children with disability and their significant others (parents and 
guardians, community leaders, heads of relevant departments, assembly members etc) living in 
the Kadjebi District of the Volta Region. Forty-eight (48) children living with disability were 
sampled from of list of registered disable children at the Social Welfare Department of the 
Kadjebi District Assembly. All the selected children were actually contacted and interviewed 
using very simple and comprehensive questionnaire. 
 Multi-stage sampling technique was used to the extent that Ahamansu and Dodo Traditional 
Areas were purposively selected due to the high incidence of childhood disability in the area.  
 
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This was revealed by a headcount conducted by the Department of Social Welfare and 
Community Development with support from Kadjebi Area Development Programme of World 
Vision Ghana. Four (4) communities were then randomly selected from these traditional areas. 
These are Dodofie and Dodo Tamale and Tsortorme and Mangoase from Dodo and Ahamansu 
Traditional Areas respectively. All the basic schools in these communities were then purposively 
selected using the non-probability sampling.  
This sampling method is where some elements of the population have no chance of selection, or 
where the probability of selection cannot be accurately determined. It involves the selection of 
subjects based on assumptions regarding the population of interest, which forms the criteria for 
selection. Specifically, simple random sampling was used to select branches and purposive 
sampling, a type of non-probability sampling was use to select participants close to hand. 
Probability sampling on the other is a sampling technique where the chances of being selected 
can be determined.  
A Simple Random sampling technique was used to select children with disability. Specifically, 
the lottery method was used to select the participants. Only children with disability between the 
ages of 10-17 were used for the study. It is believed that these categories of children could 
respond favourably to the questionnaire.  
Next, a non–probability sampling technique was used to select significant others, that is parents, 
relatives and guardians. Here, convenient sampling technique was used to select family members 
or guardians of the disabled child selected for the study. Focus Group Discussion was used to 
gather data from parents/caregivers of children with disability as well as Community Leaders 
and some relevant Departmental Heads. 
 
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In all, a total of eighty-two (79) participants were used for the study. This is made up of 48 
children with disability, 3 Heads of Department, 4 Assembly Members, 4 Traditional and 
Religious Leaders and 20 parents/caregivers of children with disability.   
This sample size is considered appropriate because Fidelland Tabachnick (2001) cautioned 
against the use of too many cases because as the number of cases increases, so too is the risk of 
deriving significance from the slightest variance. Accordingly, it seems most appropriate to 
measure the number of cases that has a reasonable chance of revealing significance. Based on 
this guideline, a sample size of N=79 was appropriate.  
 Breakdown of Participants involved in the Study 
Category Number 
Children with Disability 48 
Assembly Members  4 
Chiefs 3 
Religious Leaders 3 
Parents 20 
Representative of Chief Imam 1 
Total 79 
 
3.4. Data Processing and Analysis 
Quantitative data processing involves pre-analysis that involved sorting the data and a 
description of the sample, coding was subsequently done to assign numbers to the variables 
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through the provision of coding frame. After that the data was entered into the Statistical 
Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 19.0 for the actual analysis. 
Qualitative processing also included coding of textual data and generation of themes out of the 
codes. Inductive thematic analysis was thus used to synthesise the qualitative data generated 
from the focus group discussions. 
3.5. Ethical Considerations  
The study used questionnaires to obtain information from participants. However owing to the 
sensitive nature of some of the items, the consent of participants was sought through the filling 
of Informed Consent Form to affirm their willingness to participate.  
 
Also, participants were assured of absolute confidentiality of the information and that whatever 
details they give. They were also made to understand that the information gathered is for 
academic purposes only. 
 
Data Management and Quality Control Assurance 
For the purposes of data collection for this study, five (5) national service personnel were 
engaged as research assistants. They were taken through a short training for them to grasp the 
basic disability terminologies as well as interviewing and probing skills ahead of the actual data 
collection. They were also trained on the issue of confidentiality in research as well as 
community entry skills and on the various sections of the questionnaire they will administer. 
To ensure that questionnaires get to the research secretariat safe and neat, rubber files were 
provided to the research assistants. This was critical because data was collected during raining 
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season. And to facilitate their movement, each of the research assistants was allocated a motor 
bike rider who took him/her round. 
The researcher himself worked as a Coordinator to ensure that the research assistants actually 
collected data from respondents. 
3.6. Limitation of the Study. 
The following are some limitation of the study. Children with hearing impairment were not 
included in the sample because the research assistants do not have the technical competence to 
communicate with them in sign language. Likewise children with mental and intellectual 
disability could not be easily and readily identified without medical examination, so only 
children with physical disability and sight impairment were interviewed. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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CHAPTER FOUR 
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 
4.0 Introduction 
The Holy Book in quoting Jesus Christ states that the poor will always be with us (Mathew 
26:11), similarly the disable child or persons with disability will always be part of society. This 
study in examining existing social services in a community on the well-being of children living 
with disability investigated three main objectives. The first is to assess the existing formal 
support services in the Kadjebi District and how they affect the provision of health and education 
for children with disability. Second is to assess the community‟s existing informal support 
systems in the Kadjebi District for the well-being (food, clothes and shelter) of children with 
disability and lastly to examine the provisions within existing policies and programme for the 
well-being of children with disability in Ghana. This chapter presents data collected and the 
analysis of information obtained from respondents selected for the study. 
4.1 Demographic and Sample Characteristics 
Demographic information on the respondents included gender, age, and type of disability, among 
others.  These variables were discussed in detail and presented in the Table 1. In sum, a total of 
48 respondents were sampled. The result revealed that 30 representing 62.5 per cent were males 
while 18 (37.5%) were females. This clearly indicates that in the sample there were more male 
than female disabled children. Also, the investigator sought to know which of the parents or 
family member the children lived with.  
 
Majority (75%) of the children however live with both parents while 25% are living with their 
mothers. Interestingly, none of the children live with their fathers alone. Regarding the type of 
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disability, two kinds of disability was recorded: physically challenged children and children with 
difficulty in seeing. Specifically, the results showed that majority (70.8%) are physically 
challenged while the rest (29.2%) have difficulty seeing. This result on the type of disability is 
expected given that the sample focused only on the two types of disabilities. Presented in Table 1 
also is the data collected on the age of the respondents. The results revealed that all the children 
sampled were below 18 years majority (68.8%) of which is between the ages of 13 – 15 years. 
Table 1: Sample Characteristics  
Variable Frequency Percent 
Sex:   
Male 30 62.5 
Female 18 37.5 
With whom are staying:   
Mother 12 25.0 
Both Parents 36 75.0 
Type of Disability:    
Physically Challenge 34 70.8 
Difficulty Seeing  14 29.2 
Age:   
10 – 12 years 8 16.7 
13 – 15 years 33 68.8 
16 – 18 years 7 14.5 
Total 48 100 
 
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Other sample characteristics investigated by the researcher is whether the respondents attends 
school and if yes, their various levels on the educational ladder. Surprisingly, all the children 
with disability are / were attending school and in various levels of the school system. Table 2 
represents the results. The results revealed that majority (62.5%) were in Primary School while 
37.5% were in the Junior High School. This trend supports the global report on disability which 
indicated that children with physical disability, hearing problem, speaking and learning 
difficulty in Northern Iraq tend to attend school even more than children without disability.  
 
Table 2: The Classes of Respondents 
        Class Frequency Percent 
 KG 2 4.2 
Class1 2 4.2 
Class 2 1 2.1 
Class 4 7 14.6 
Class 5 5 10.4 
Class 6 13 27.1 
JH 1  12 25.0 
JH 2 5 10.4 
JH 3 1 2.1 
Total 48 100.0 
 
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4.3 Formal Social Support Mechanisms and its Contribution to the Well-being Children 
with Disability 
Ghana has a wide array of formal social support mechanisms herein referred to as social 
protection. However for the purpose of this study, three key social protection interventions with 
implication for dealing with some of the challenges associated with childhood disability have 
been examined. These include the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the Ghana School 
Feeding Programme (GSFP) and the Free School Uniform and Exercice Book Policy. In 
particular, the examination was made regarding first of all, the extent to which children with 
disability have some level of awareness of the programme and whether they are directly 
benefiting from the programmes and whether by their experience the programmes have made 
any contribution to their well-being. Generally data for this section is derived from the semi- 
structured interviewed held with 48 children with disability across the study area. 
4.3.1 Children with Disability and the National Health Insurance Scheme  
The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is one of the pro-poor policies implemented by 
the Government to ensure equal access to primary health care in the country, especially to the 
most vulnerable. This came to replace the infamous cash and carry system which demands that 
people pay at the point of medical services even before they are treated. This made it difficult for 
people to access quality health care in the country. The researcher in this direction investigated 
the level of access and usage of the NHIS by children with disability. The analysis revealed that 
all the respondents have at one point in time heard of the scheme but majority did not know the 
local agent who does the registration in their community. In the pie chart presenting the data, 
75% of the respondents do not know of the local registration agent while 25% know the agent.  
 
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The data further revealed that all the respondents are registered and active card bearers of the 
NHIS (see appendix). This is also appreciated because the respondents are in school and mostly 
depend on their parents for every support.  
 
Chart 1: Knowledge of Local Registration Agent 
 
Regarding the usage of the National Health Insurance Card in seeking treatment at the various 
health facilities, the results showed that all the respondents attend health facilities with the card 
and receive treatment just like any other person who visits the facility. This really shows that the 
days of stigmatization against children with disability within the healthcare system, especially in 
the local communities are now fading away.  This finding really refuted a report by UNICEF 
which suggests that children with disability are discriminated in educational and health sectors 
globally whether directly or indirectly. But it is a good sign that in the worse case the child with 
disability could be taken to the health centre for medical treatment. 
 
 
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Table 3: NHIS Card usage and Treatment seeking among Children with Disability 
 Frequency Percent 
If card is active, do you attend hospital / clinic with it? 48 100.0 
If yes, do you get treatment? 48 100.0 
 
4.3.2 Children with Disability and Free Exercise Book and Uniform Policy  
The next social intervention policy examined was the Free Exercise Book and School Uniform 
policy. This policy was introduced by government to improve education delivery in the country. 
Under the programme, each school child is given a uniform and number of exercise books 
according to his/her level in school. This is meant to lift some burden off the shoulders of parents 
who are already trapped in domestic poverty and also ultimately help the children get good 
education. The researcher sought to find out whether children with disability have equal access 
to this facility in the study area. In the first instance, the researcher want to know whether, the 
children with disability are aware of this policy that provide all children of school going age at 
the basic level with free exercise books and uniforms. The response as presented in the bar chart 
revealed that majority (75%) children are aware of the policy while the rest (25%) claim not to 
have any knowledge about the policy. Surprisingly, all the children reported that some exercise 
books and uniforms had been distributed in their school. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Chart 2: Are you aware of Free School Uniform and Exercise Book Policy? 
 
 
Regarding the respondents who directly benefited from the policy – free exercise book and 
uniform, the result presented in the pie chart below indicated that majority (75%) of the 
respondents benefited from the policy and 25% did not or are yet to benefit from the policy.  
Again, this finding indicated that children with disability in schools in the study area are not 
discriminated against. It could therefore be deduced from this that the policy has contributed to 
the well-being of the disabled children in terms of basic education which is in line the 
Millennium Development Goals Two.    
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Chart 3: Beneficiary of the Free School Uniform and Free Exercise Book Policy? 
 
 
 
Further analysis revealed that, respondents from each class that participated in the study 
benefited except the Kindergarten class where none benefited. This situation could be 
attributable to inadequacy of the supplies and absenteeism on the part of the respondents from 
school. Table 4 is a cross tabulation of beneficiaries and their classes.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Table 4: Beneficiary of the Free School Uniform and Free Exercise Book Policy * Class  
Cross Tabulation 
 
Count 
If yes, what class are you? 
Total KG C1 C2 C4 C5 C6 JH1 JH2 JH3 
If yes, are you a 
beneficiary of the free 
school uniform and 
free exercise book 
policy? 
Yes 0 1 1 6 2 12 8 5 1 36 
No 2 1 0 1 3 1 4 0 0 12 
Total 2 2 1 7 5 13 12 5 1 48 
 
 
Lastly, the data revealed that, of the number of respondents who benefited from the policy, all 
(100%) were given the same quantity as children without disability. This reinforces the fact that 
educational institutions in the District respect the rights of children, including those with 
disability which is of one the fundamental rights enshrined in the 1992 Constitution of Ghana. 
This confirms the assertion by the District Directors of CHRAJ and the Desk Officer of the 
Department of Social Welfare and Community Development in key informant interview that 
child rights education has been intensified to ensure that the best interest of the child remains 
paramount in any issue concerning the child. It is also in line with the Free Compulsory 
Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) programme.   See appendix for results. 
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4.5 Children with Disability and Health Facility in Community  
Access to health facilities by children with disability in the Kadjebi District was also 
investigated. The researcher in the first place sought to enquire if there are health facilities in the 
community. The respondents were requested to respond to the item „is there a health facility in 
your community? The data revealed that all the respondents answered in the affirmative 
indicating there is a health facility in the communities they live in the District. Furthermore, 
seeking to know whether the respondents use the facility when seeking medical attention 
revealed again that all respondents at one point or the other visited the health facility. This is a 
healthy development which is appreciable because hitherto children with disability are not sent 
to the health facility when they are sick. In trying to prevent humiliation, parents rather prefer to 
lock up their disabled children in a room even when they are sick and need medical treatment. 
See appendix for results. And, in receiving treatment at the health facility, 32 respondents 
representing 67% mentioned that they receive treatment without discrimination while 16 
representing 33% claimed they are discriminated against at the health facility. Chart 4 presents 
the result.  
It is refreshing to discover that there is little discrimination in the health delivery system in the 
study area because the 1992 Constitution of Ghana and the Children‟s Act guarantees 
fundamental human rights for all persons resident in Ghana. The District Director of CHRAJ 
also mentioned that though some progress has been made, stakeholders must not relax. Apart 
from that, a participant at the focus group discussion mentioned that she now sends her disabled 
daughter to the health centre anytime she is sick due the fact that there is little or no 
discrimination at the facilities unlike formally when no one will even look at your direction due 
to discrimination. 
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Chart 4: Are you treated without discrimination? 
 
4.6 Children with Disability and the Ghana School Feeding Programme 
The last social intervention policy was the Ghana School Feeding Programme. This policy is 
meant to provide one hot and nutritious meal to children in basic schools. Its ultimate objective is 
to improve school enrolment and ensure that children remain school and also promote local 
economic development. The policy was introduced in 2007 during the regime of ex-President 
J.A. Kufour. Reports gathered from the Ghana Education Service indicated that the policy has 
increased enrolment in beneficiary communities. However, the focus of this study is to 
investigate the contribution this policy has made to the well-being of children with disability in 
terms of education. To achieve this, the researcher inquired from the respondents whether they 
are beneficiaries of the policy, and whether they are served the same quantity of meal just like 
any other child. The results revealed that all children interviewed are benefiting from the policy 
and there is no discrimination in the quantity of food served them.   
 
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From this result, it is evident that children with disability do not suffer any discrimination in this 
programme. Accordingly, their health status might have improved as a result of this programme. 
This is in consonance with some parents‟ suggestion that GSFP has really contributed to a 
balanced growth of their children. The resulted is presented in Chart 5. 
 
Chart 5: Beneficiaries of GSFP 
 
4.7 Effects of Policies on Children with disability  
The main pro – poor policies examined in the study were the School feeding programme, the 
National Health Insurance Scheme and the Free Exercise and Uniform policy. The researcher in 
this section sought to find out whether by their own experience , these policies have any 
relevance to the need of children with disability and if so have these contributed to their overall 
well-being? A number of questions were asked and the discussion provides the results and the 
analysis.  
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In the first place, the respondents were asked to indicate their level of agreement or disagreement 
to the question „these programmes are relevant to the needs of children with disability‟. The 
result as presented in Chart 6 showed that majority (75%) strongly agreed that the policies have 
been relevant to their needs while the rest disagreed. This means that by their own experience, 
these programmes have really contributed to their well-being since they now enjoy the most 
basic facilities within their communities without much discrimination. The number disagreeing 
could be those who did not benefit from the policies or could be ones who still suffer some form 
of discrimination from the educational and health facilities. This is not surprising because 
Director CHRAJ, in a key informant interview revealed that the department occasionally receive 
complaints from some parents with children with disability about some health professionals and 
teachers whose actions and /or inactions amounts to discrimination against the innocent children.  
On the relevance of the programme to their live, one participant at the focus group discussion 
mentioned that the social intervention programmes have brought some relief to her child because 
it has provided the solutions to her child‟s problem. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Chart 6: These programmes are relevant to the needs of children with disability 
 
 
The contribution of the policies to the lives of the children with disability was also investigated. 
The respondents were asked to respond to the question „these programmes positively affect the 
lives of children with disability‟ and the results indicated that the policies indeed affected the 
children with disability positively. From Chart 7, 75% of the respondents strongly agree to the 
statement and the rest 25% just agreed. At this point, there is no doubt at all concerning the 
overall contribution the programme has made to the well-being of children with disability since 
the children themselves have revealed that their livelihood have improved as a result of the 
programme. This is an indication that the parents, children and authorities at CHRAJ and the 
Department of Social Welfare and Community Development share similar opinion on the 
contribution of the programme to the well-being of children with disability because all the 
parents at the focus group discussion recounted how the programmes have helped their children. 
In sum all the respondents affirmed that the policies are good and beneficial to them (children 
with disability).  
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Chart 7: These programmes positively affect the lives of children with disability 
 
 
Finally, the researcher specifically asked the respondents to tell whether the policies have 
contributed to their well-being as children with disability. The result showed that 50% strongly 
agreed, and 25% agreed while the rest remained undecided. In sum 75% of the respondents 
agreed that the policies have improved their well-being. The result is presented in Chart 8. 
Chart 8: These programmes have contributed to my well-being as a child with disability 
 
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4.8 Children with Disability and their Family’s Contribution  
In this section, the researcher sought to find out from the respondents how their respective 
families provide their needs – material and social support. In the first place, the respondents were 
asked to indicate their level of agreement and disagreement with the statement „I am treated with 
respect just like any other child in my family‟. The result suggests that equal (50%) number of 
children agreed and disagreed with the statement. Specifically, 50% disagreed, while 25% 
ordinarily agreed and 25% strongly agreed to the statement. This to a wider extend implied that 
majority of the children with disability are discriminated against by their own parents, guardians 
or significant others in their family.  See Table 5 for Results. 
 
Table 5: I am Treated with respect just like any other child in my family 
 Frequency Percent 
 Disagree 24 50.0 
Agree 12 25.0 
Strongly Agree 12 25.0 
Total 48 100.0 
 
This is in sharp contrast with the case in the schools and health centres where it was reported that 
there is little or no discrimination at all. This may be due to the fact that some of the parents or 
significant others might still be holding on to traditional views about causes of disability and the 
implication of having a disabled child in one‟s family. This is not surprising because the study 
area is highly traditional and averagely primitive. It is also obvious that the educational standards 
of the parents are not high enough for them to appreciate the real causes of disability from the 
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community sensitization programme undertaken by CHRAJ, Department of Social Welfare and 
Community Development, the Kadjebi District Assembly and other social partners. See Table 5   
for the results. 
 
Next, the researcher asked the respondents whether their family provides their needs. Needs in 
this study refers to provision of educational and health needs as well as other social supports. 
The result as shown in Chart 9 shows that the respondents completely disagreed with the 
suggestion that their families provide their needs. Interestingly, 25% of the respondents remained 
neutral. They could not tell whether their needs were catered for by their families. Clearly, the 
respondents showed that the families of children with disability shirk their obligations as families 
and relegate these to the government. Because one woman revealed at the focus group discussion 
that they do not provide breakfast to their children at home since the feeding programme takes 
care of that. She was quick to add that this does not pertain only to children with disability in the 
household. This behaviour by some parents supports the widely held view by economist that 
social protection promotes laziness among recipients and it is therefore disincentive for 
development. Chart 9 presents the results. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Chart 9: My family provides my needs 
 
 
Lastly, the researcher wanted to know if the families of the children with disability discriminate 
against them in the provision of their needs. The respondents were thus requested to indicate 
their level of agreement or otherwise to the statement „my family does not discriminate against 
me because of my disability”. The result presented in the table below showed that majority 
(75%) disagreed with the statement implying that families discriminate against them (children 
with disability). This result is consistent with earlier responses regarding the provision of basic 
needs for the children by their families. Table 6 presents the results. 
 
 
 
 
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Table 6: My family does not discriminate against me because of my disability 
 Frequency Percent 
 Strongly Disagree 24  50.0 
Disagree 12 25.0 
Undecided 12 25.0 
Total 48 100.0 
4.3 Informal Support Services for Promoting the Well-being of Children with Disability. 
One of the critical issues examined in this study is the presence of informal social support 
services and how these have contributed to shaping the well-being of children with disability in 
the Kadjebi District. Informal social support has been conceptualised to relate to food, shelter 
and clothing. Data for this section was mainly derived from three focus group discussions held 
with Assembly members, traditional leaders religious leaders and parents with children with 
disability. 
In all, Thirty (30) community leaders made up of Four (4) Assembly Members from the 
following Ahamansu, Dodo-Tamale, Todome and Yadzo Electoral Areas, Three (3) Community 
Chiefs one of whom is also the Presiding Member of the Kadjebi Assembly District, three (3) 
Religious Leaders including the Representative of the Chief Imam and (20) Parents with children 
with disability availed themselves for the discussion.  
The discussion centered on the knowledge of social intervention policies of government, the 
relevance of the policies in enhancing the well-being of children with disability and the support 
they as parents and opinion leaders provide these children and how this contributes to their well-
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being. The researcher moderated the discussion and a research assistant jotted down notes 
reflecting the general views expressed by the discussants at all the three venues. 
 
Knowledge and usage of Social Intervention Policies 
The participants expressed knowledge of the policies - NHIS, School Feeding Programme, Free 
School Uniform and Exercise Books. Regarding the source of knowledge, majority mentioned 
that they learnt of these policies on radio and on national television stations and from their school 
going children.  
Specifically, concerning NHIS policy, the participants mentioned that they are registered 
members of the scheme. However, two parents confessed that the card of their wards has 
expired. For free exercise books, uniform and school feeding, the parents expressed satisfaction 
about the policy.  
Probing further, they mentioned the policies had reduced their expenditure on the education and 
health of their wards.  All the parents expressed fair knowledge on the available social protection 
/intervention programme such as Ghana School Feeding Programme, Free School Uniform and 
Exercise Book Policy and NHIS. 
 
Relevance of Programme 
The profile of the participants revealed that, in exception of the Assembly members all others 
were peasant farmers with no other regular income source and on the average, many have five 
(5) children. This has implication in funding the education and meeting the health needs of the 
children. The introduction of these policies has thus been received with open arms. As a result 
they reported that their wards were able to access health care, have descent school uniforms and 
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writing materials to use in school. Some parent however, mentioned they still have to purchase 
exercise books for their wards to supplement what was supplied. This is because, at the JHS 
level, the number of exercise books provided is not enough given the number of subjects treated 
at that level. 
 
Provision of family support 
The Assembly members and some parents mentioned that they are strongly aware that 2% of the 
District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) is to be disbursed to persons with disability for 
educational, economic and medical purposes. And as such the law enjoins District Assemblies to 
freely release this money to persons with disability.  They mentioned also that some children 
with disability including disabled children in their electoral areas have really benefitted from this 
grants.  Therefore, the burden of providing for children with disability in the District does not lie 
only at the door of the parents.  
The parents on their part mentioned their income levels and the number of children they are to 
provide for seem to be a contributory factor to their inability to properly provide for the needs of 
their disabled children. Notwithstanding, they agreed „they are doing their best‟.  
 
Community Support for Children with Disability 
One critical objective of this study is to investigate whether the communities in the study area 
have any support for these children apart from governmental social intervention programmes. 
Responding to these questions at the focus group discussion, the Chiefs and Assembly Members 
revealed that their communities do not have any support for either children with disability or 
families with children with disability. They said they all depend on the Department of Social 
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Welfare and Community Development, District Assembly and other civil society organizations 
to help the parents provide for the needs of these children. One Assembly Member said that they 
only help parents with child (ren) with disability to write and submit applications to the 
Disability Funds Management Committee of the Assembly and subsequently lobby for its 
approval. What is surprising is that there is no support from the religious groups for children 
with disability in the study area. 
4.4 Legislations and Programmes for Promotion of the Well-being of Children with 
Disability 
The third objective of this study is to examine the provisions within existing, legislations, 
programmes and policies that promote the well-being of children with disability. There are 
number of legislations, programmes and policies that seek to protect, promote and ensure the 
well-being of children with disability. These provisions exist at the global, regional, national and 
sometimes even District and community levels. Over the years, disability policy developed from 
elementary care at institutions to education for children with disabilities and rehabilitation for 
persons who became disabled during adult life. Through education and rehabilitation, persons 
with disabilities became more active and a driving force in the further development of disability 
policy. 
 
This section takes a cursory look at some international and national legislations/policies/ 
programmes that seek to improve and protect the well-being of children with disability in Ghana. 
The Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, Universal 
Declaration of Human Right (UDHR), the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 
(UNCRC), the African Chapter on Human and People‟s Right, the 1992 Constitution of the 
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Republic of Ghana, the Children‟s Act (Act 560/1998), the Persons with Disability Act (Act 
715/2006) are reviewed to ascertain whether these legislations really promote the well-being of 
children with disability.   
 
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) 
This is undoubtedly one of the important and key declarations that brought tremendous attention 
to human right issues on the world stage after the first and second world wars. The declaration is 
non-binding resolution was adopted by some countries in 1948. The thirty (30) article declaration 
widely recognizes human rights as a prerequisite for peace, justice, and democracy and 
development. 
The Declaration states that “the recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and 
inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and 
peace in the world (UDHR, 1948). The human right of all persons including that of children with 
disability is built on the principles and provisions of this important declaration.  
 
Article One(1) of the declaration which states that all human beings are born free and equal in 
dignity and rights and are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one 
another in a spirit of brotherhood point to the fact that no child should be condemned because of 
disability.  
 
Article Two(2) states that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this 
declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political 
or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Of major significance to 
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this study is Article 25(1) which states that everyone has the right to a standard of living 
adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, 
housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of 
unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in 
circumstances beyond his control.  
 
Although the declaration in Articles 1, 2 and 25(1) made special provisions in the interest of 
children with disability, the UDHR failed to emphasis the need for community care and support 
for these children and their parents. Again, the declaration did not prescribed any sanction which 
should be imposed on any family who denies their child or children with disability the basic 
necessities of life.  
Therefore, the UDHR though widely claimed to be the foundation of human rights of all persons, 
it did not take into account the special needs of children with disability and their families as well 
as communal support for them. 
 
Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities 
This is a single most important attempt by the United Nations to advocate for fair treatment for 
persons with disability in the world. Before these Rules there were no standards against which 
progress in terms of providing equal rights and opportunity to disabled people could be 
measured.  
 
 
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The Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities have been 
developed on the basis of the experience gained during the United Nations Decade of Disabled 
Persons (1983-1992). The International Bill of Human Rights, comprising the Universal 
Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural 
Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the 
Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination 
against Women, as well as the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons, 
constitute the political and moral foundation for the Rules.  
 
Although the Rules are not compulsory, they have become international customary rules when 
they are applied by a great number of States with the intention of respecting a rule in 
international law. They imply a strong moral and political commitment on behalf of States to 
take action for the equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities. Important principles 
for responsibility, action and cooperation are indicated. Areas of decisive importance for the 
quality of life and for the achievement of full participation and equality are also pointed out.  
The Rules offer an instrument for policy-making and action to persons with disabilities and their 
organizations. They provide a basis for technical and economic cooperation among States, the 
United Nations and other international organizations.   
 
The overarching purpose of the Rules is to ensure that girls, boys, women and men with 
disabilities, as members of their societies, may exercise the same rights and obligations as others. 
Persons with disabilities are members of society and have the right to remain within their local 
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communities. They should receive the support they need within the ordinary structures of 
education, health, employment and other vital social services 
 
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 
This Convention was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in November 1989 after 
decades of negotiation (Blanchfield, 2009). The UNCRC has 54 Articles. Articles 43-54 are 
about how adults and governments should work together to make sure that all children enjoy 
their rights.  It is a tremendous step taken by the United Nations to protect and ensure the well-
being of all persons below eighteen (18) years including those with disability. Article 1 of the 
convention states that everyone under 18 years of age has all the rights in this Convention and 
Article 2 added that the convention applies to everyone whatever their race, religion, abilities, 
whatever they think or say, whatever type of family they come from. Article 23 states that 
children who have any kind of disability should receive special care and support so that they can 
live a full and independent life. 
Being the first country to ratify the convention, Ghana has made several attempts to promote the 
well-being of children in general but much need to be done for children with disabilities 
specifically because of their vulnerability and special needs. 
 
1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana 
This constitution serves as the framework of all legal enactments in Ghana. It states that the 
constitution shall be the supreme law of Ghana and any other law found to be inconsistent with 
any provision of this constitution shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void and null. In 
Chapter 5, under the title „Fundamental Human Rights and Freedom‟, the document provides for 
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the protection of  rights of all persons including children with disability without regard to race, 
place of origin, political opinion, colour, religion, creed or gender.  
 
Again, Article 28 of the constitution provides for the right of child. Article 28(1) state that every 
child has the right to the same measure of special care, assistance and maintenance as is 
necessary for his/her development from his/her natural parents, except where those parents have 
effectively surrendered their rights and responsibilities in respect of the child in accordance with 
law among others. Article 29(1) also provides that disabled children have the right to live with 
their families or with foster parents and to participate in social, creative or recreational activities.   
Again, Article 29(4) states that disabled persons shall be protected against all exploitation, all 
regulations and all treatment of a discriminatory, abusive or degrading nature. 
Although the constitution provides for the protection of human rights of all persons including 
children with disability, it does not provide enough legal frameworks to develop disability 
legislation, programmes and policies specifically to protect children with disability.   
 
Persons with Disability Act (Act 715) 
Being the only legislation that seeks to promote the interest of persons with disability in Ghana, 
the Persons with Disability Act came into force and received Presidential Assent in August 2006. 
With eight (8) Sections, the Act provides for the rights of persons with disability, education of 
person with disability, transportation, health care and facilities for persons with disability, the 
establishment and functions of national council on persons with disability, administrative and 
financial provisions among others.  
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Article 16(1&2) of the Act provided for education of children with disability. It said that a 
parent, guardian or custodian of a child with disability of school going age shall enrol the child in 
school.  
 
Again, parent, guardian or custodian who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence and is 
liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding ten penalty units, or to a term of 
imprisonment not exceeding fourteen days. 
 
Children’s Act, 1998(Act 560) 
Being the first country to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Ghana 
in 1998 came out with this legislation to protect children.  
Titled „Children‟s Act of 1998‟, the overarching goal of the Act is „„to reform and consolidate 
the law relating to children, to provide for the rights of the child, maintenance and adoption, 
regulate child labour and apprenticeship, for ancillary matters concerning children generally 
and to provide for related matters‟‟ The Act received presidential assent on 30th December, 
1998. Its guiding principle is contained in Part 1 titled “The Right of the Child”. It states that 
„„the best interest of the child shall be paramount in any matter concerning a child‟‟. 
Furthermore, it provided that the best interest of the child shall be the primary consideration by 
any court, person, institution or other body in any matter concerned with a child.  
 
Sub-Part 3 of the Act provided for non-discrimination. It states that “no person shall discriminate 
against a child on the grounds of gender, race, age, religion, disability, health status, custom, 
ethnic origin, rural or urban background, birth or other status, socio–economic status or because 
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the child is a refugee”. Under „Parental Duty and Responsibility‟, the Act provides that no parent 
shall deprive a child his welfare whether – 
(a) The parents of the child are married or not at the time of the child‟s birth; or(b) The parents 
of the child continue to live together or not.(2) Every child has the right to life, dignity, respect, 
leisure, liberty, health, education and shelter from his parents. 
 
(3) Every parent has rights and responsibilities whether imposed by law or otherwise towards his 
child which include the duty to (a) protect the child from neglect, discrimination, violence, 
abuse, exposure to physical and moral hazards and oppression;(b) provide good guidance, care, 
assistance and maintenance for the child and assurance of the child‟s survival and 
development;(c) ensure that in the temporary absence of a parent, the child shall be cared for by 
a competent person and that a child under eighteen months of age shall only be cared for by a 
person of fifteen years and above. These provisions apply to all children including disabled ones. 
This Act also provided for education, immunization, adequate, diet, clothing, shelter, medical 
attention for all children. Section 10, sub-section1 and 2 of the Act provided specifically for 
children with disability. It states that no person shall treat a disabled child in an undignified 
manner. It further stated that disabled child has right to special care, education and training 
wherever possible to develop his maximum potential and be self-reliant. 
 
Furthermore, Sub-Part 1 under the title “Care and Protection”, Metropolitan, Municipal and 
District Assemblies have been tasked to protect all children within their area of jurisdiction and 
ensure that relevant governmental agencies in the District collaborate effectively to ensure that 
the rights of all children are protected.  More so, the Department of Social Welfare and 
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Community Development has been mandated to investigate cases of child rights abuses in every 
in Ghana. 
 
From this brief overview of the Children‟s Act, it is undoubtedly clear that it is a single most 
important legislation that protects the right of all children in Ghana.  
 
LIVELIHOOD EMPOWERMENT AGAINST POVERTY (LEAP) 
One of the prominent social intervention programmes that seek to promote the well-being of 
children in Ghana is the LEAP programme. The LEAP was developed by the Government of 
Ghana as one of its flagship programmes of the National Social Protection Strategy. The 
programme aims at empowering extremely poor, disadvantaged and vulnerable populations 
including children with disability in the country.  The programme was initiated by the Ministry 
of Employment and Social Welfare (MESW) in 2008 and the implementation is done through the 
Department of Social Welfare (DSW). The LEAP programme provides conditional and 
unconditional cash transfer to extremely poor households who have no alternative means of 
meeting their subsistence needs and have limited productive capacity e.g. the elderly poor, 
persons with severe disabilities and children in difficult circumstances.  
 
The cash transfers are intended to empower those households and help them provide for their 
basic needs and also support them to access existing social protection and other poverty 
reduction interventions so as to contribute to the socio-economic development of the country.  
The grant under the programme ranges from GH¢15-GH¢45 every month depending on the 
number of eligible members in a particular household. 
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The main objective of the LEAP programme is to reduce poverty by increasing consumption and 
promoting access to services and opportunities among the extreme poor and vulnerable. 
1. To improve basic household consumption and nutrition among children below 2 years of 
age, the aged (65 years and above without productive capacity) and people with severe 
disability who cannot work. 
2. To increase access to health care services among children below 5 years of age, the aged 
(65 years and above without productive capacity) and people with severe disability. 
3. To increase basic school enrolment, attendance and retention of beneficiary children 
between 5 and 15 years of age. 
LEAP is seen as a compliment to the government‟s existing social protection initiatives 
including among others including the Agricultural Input Support Programme, the Micro Finance 
Scheme, the National Health Insurance Scheme, Ghana School Feeding Programme etc (LEAP 
Operational Manual, 2008). 
Other programmes such as Ghana School Feeding Programme and the National Health Insurance 
which are subjects of this study does not have any specific focus for disabled children, but rather 
for children in general.  
 
Key Informant Interview (KII) 
To know the extent to which these legislations have influenced programmes and activities and 
how this promoted the well-being of children with disability in the study area, the researcher 
conducted some key informant interviews. Typically, Directors of CHRAJ, Department of Social 
Welfare and Community Development and the Scheme Manager of the National Health 
Insurance Scheme were interviewed. 
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 The Director of CHRAJ, reveals that the Commission is the official human right organization 
established by government in 1992 and its mandates are derived from the UDHR and as such 
conducts regular human rights education in all schools and communities in the District to ensure 
that every child including the disabled child is at least aware of his/her rights and responsibilities 
as a citizen of Ghana.  He added that the Commission conducts annual human rights 
investigations to come out with human rights abuses in the District.   
 
He concluded that both national and international legislations have influenced programmes and 
activities which really contributed to the well-being of children with disability in general. 
 
The Director of the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development also revealed 
that the UDHR forms the basis of the department‟s work, especially under its Child Rights 
Protection and Promotion and Justice Administration Programmes. He cited instance where the 
department investigated cases pertaining to neglect of disabled children in the study area. He said 
in accordance with governmental directive that 2% of the District Assemblies Common Fund 
should be allocated to disability-related, persons with disability have benefitted tremendously 
from this grant. He said children with disability are not left out of this special package. This 
assertion has confirmed revelations by some Assembly Members during the focus group 
discussion that disabled children have benefitted from the grant and their well-being improved.  
 
On the LEAP programme, the Director said the programme aims at providing livelihood support 
to extremely poor households with disabled children but unfortunately the District is not yet on 
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the programme. In the opinion of the Department, the legislations and policies have really 
contributed to the well-being of the disabled child in the study area.  
 
At the District Secretariat of the NHIS, the researcher interacted with the Scheme Manager and 
the Public Relations Officer (PRO). The Scheme Manager disclosed that health insurance is one 
of the fundamental human rights of every person in Ghana and should remain as such, especially 
for the vulnerable ones like children with disability.  He said the programme is expected to 
provide basic primary health care to all persons resident in Ghana. The mandate of the scheme is 
based on the provisions and principles of national and international laws.  
 
The PRO disclosed that vulnerable people who do not have the financial capacity to pay the 
premium are covered under the indigene policy of the scheme. He said “some parents even bring 
their disabled children here for registration and we don‟t collect money from them”.   
In expressing his opinion on whether or not international and national laws have contributed to 
the well-being of children with disability, the Scheme Manager said the health sector was 
transformed drastically by these legislations and policies and this has contributed positively to 
the well-being of children with disability in Ghana. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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CHAPTER FIVE 
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS. 
5.0 Introduction 
This study investigates the contribution some governmental pro-poor programmes have 
made on the well-being children with disability. Again, the knowledge of parents and guardians 
of children with disability about these programmes and the community‟s informal support 
mechanisms that protect and promote the well-being of children with disability in the Kadjebi 
District. This chapter highlights the main issues in the study, the conclusion and policy-focused 
recommendations. 
5.1 Summary 
The vulnerability of persons with disability, especially the children with disability is of major 
concern to state governments, human rights organizations, civil society organizations and other 
child-focused institutions all over the world.  Accordingly, governments all over the world 
beside legislations have implemented some social intervention programmes aimed at reducing 
this vulnerability and thus improving the well-being of vulnerable people.  
This study measures the effect of some of these social intervention programmes on the well-
being of children with disability in the Kadjebi District in the Volta Region. Organised around 
three major objectives, the study seeks to examine awareness on formal support services and 
their effect on children with disability.   
 
Secondly, to investigate informal support services in the Kadjebi District for promoting the well-
being (food, clothes and shelter) of children with disability and lastly to examine the provisions 
within existing policies and programmes for the well-being of children with disability in Ghana.  
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The study was conducted within the social or human right model of disability. This model 
therefore constitutes the theoretical or conceptual framework of the study. The necessary 
literature on the topic was reviewed. 
 
The study was conducted in the Kadjebi District, specifically in three (3) traditional areas and 
nine (9) communities, children with disability were then purposively selected from schools that 
are on Ghana School Feeding Programme and have from benefitted Free School Uniform and 
Exercise Book programme. The design of the study was both qualitative and quantitative. The 
communities were purposively selected based on the high incidence of disability recorded by the 
Department of Social Welfare and Community Development in the District. Data was collected 
by five trained research assistants.  
The study was limited to only children with physical disability and sight impairment due to the 
fact that neither the researcher nor the research assistants could communicate with children with 
hearing impairment. Again, children with mental disability could not be easily identified by the 
research team without a medical examination. They were therefore not included in the sample for 
the study, although some were seen on the field. And only those ranging from 7 to 17 years were 
interviewed. In all, a total sample size of 48 was used. 
One focused group discussion was held to gather data on the community members‟ knowledge 
on the existing informal support services and how they affect the well-being of children with 
disability. The data was processed and analysed by the Statistical Package for Social Science 
(SPSS) software.    
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The findings of the study revealed that all the 48 children with disability were in school and all 
of them were registered with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and have active 
membership card with majority of them even knowing the NHIS local agent in their community.  
 
All the respondents seek medical attention in health facilities when they are ill and are attended 
to without discrimination. Majority of the respondents revealed that the basket of social 
protection programmes contained in the study were relevant to their well-being and has 
positively affected their lives. Some however disclosed that the programmes did not contribute 
anything to their welfare at all. 
5.2   Conclusion  
The study aims at investigating how social intervention programmes have contributed to the 
welfare/well-being of children with disability. The findings points to the fact that there is a 
strong relationship between these basket of social protection mechanisms, namely Ghana School 
Feeding Programme, National Health Insurance Scheme and Free School Uniform and Exercise 
Book Policy and the well-being of disabled children in the Kadjebi District.  
Again, the findings emphasized the point that children with disability in the Kadjebi District are 
not totally discriminated against in terms of the provision of education, health and other basic 
necessities of life as pointed out in some literatures. The findings also suggest that the social or 
human right model of disability is ensured in the provision of these vital social protection 
packages in the District. This really concludes the fact that Kadjebi District is a place where the 
right and well-being of children with disability is assured and respected. 
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5.3   Recommendations 
Being social policy driven study, the following recommendations are made to further improve 
the well-being of the disabled child.  
 
Although the findings suggest that children with disability have really benefitted from the social 
intervention programmes from government so far, more attention should be placed on their well-
being in the District since some of them are left out.  
 
Though international legislations, conventions etc have greatly influenced the national disability 
legislation of Ghana and the law came into force in 2006, the Act is still not operationalised 
because it does not have a Legislative Instrument (L.I). It is therefore the candid opinion of the 
researcher to suggest to government to as a matter of urgency take the appropriate step to address 
this issue in order to make the provisions in the Act enforceable in order to promote the well-
being of persons with disability, especially the children. Because it is only when the Act is 
operationalised that the provisions contained therein could be used to advocate for their right and 
well-being. 
 
The Ghana School Feeding Programme and the Free School Uniform and Exercise Book Policy 
should be expanded to cover more schools in the District so that children with disability in those 
schools could also benefit from the programme. Again, other pro-poor services like the LEAP 
should be extended to the District so that every child with disability, especially those in the rural 
communities where poverty levels are astronomically high would benefit.  
 
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Parents with disabled children should be economically empowered by the Medium and Small 
Loans Centre (MASLOC) to boost their income generating activities so that they could take care 
of these children. 
 
Apart from that, children with disability should have specific legislation to protect them. This is 
necessary because their special needs demands that special attention should be given to their 
needs. And this legislation should incorporate all the relevant principles and provisions contained 
in the United Nations Convention on the Right of Persons with Disability. 
 
In order to generate more knowledge and information on disability issues to inform policy, 
programme and effective advocacy, social science researchers should consider focusing on 
disability issues, especially the children. 
The Kadjebi District Assembly in collaboration with the District Directorate of Education, the 
Department of Social Welfare and Community Development (DSWCD), the Commission on 
Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the National Commission on Civic 
Education (NCCE) should intensify their community sensitization programmes on the need to 
protect and promote the right and well-being of disabled children in the District. Parents should 
be educated on the causes of child disability.  
 
The disabled children themselves should be educated on daily living skills by the Rehabilitation 
Officer of the Assembly. Community sensitization on harmful traditional practices relating to 
issues of disability should be intensified by governmental organizations to enforce behaviour 
change on the part of community members in relation to disability.  
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In the same direction, the Disability Funds Management Committee of the Kadjebi District 
should always treat applications submitted on behalf of children with disability with urgency in 
order to promote their well-being. Secondly, civil society organizations such as World Vision 
Ghana, Actionaid Ghana, Network of Communities in Development (NOCID), Women‟s Rights 
Advocacy Network (WRAN) operating in the District should consider incorporating issues of 
disability into their programming at all times.  
 
Again, Assembly Members, Unit Committees, Traditional Authorities and Religious Leaders 
should be properly educated on disability issues so that in preparing the Medium Term 
Development Plans of the Assembly, disability issues would be factored in.  Community-Based 
Rehabilitation programme should be encouraged to enhanced integration of persons with 
disability. 
 The District Assembly should as a matter of urgency come out with bye-laws to make 
discrimination against children with disability a criminal offence for which the culprit could be 
fined or even imprisoned. This measure would enforce behaviourial change among community 
members on disability issues. The government and the assembly should ensure that all school 
infrastructures conform to the laid down standards to promote inclusion education and the 
District Directorate of Education should take disciplinary against any teacher who discriminate 
against a disabled child in class. The school children should be regularly educated about 
disability issues and be encouraged to take good care of their disabled peers. 
 
 
 
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REFERENCES 
Badu-Nyarko, S.K (2009). Introduction to Social Work Research: Centre for Distance Education, 
Institute of Adult Education, University of Ghana. 
1992 Constitution of Ghana 
Children‟s Act (Act 560) of 1998 
Disability and Poverty in Developing Countries: A Snapshot from the World Health Survey, 
Sophie Mitra, Aleksandra Posarac, and Brandon Vick. 
Durkin M.S. et al. (1995), “Evaluating a Ten Questions screen for childhood disability: 
reliability and internal structure in different culture”, Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 
48 (5): 657-66.  
Durkin M.S. et al. (1995), “Evaluating a ten questions screen for childhood disability: Reliability 
and internal structure in different cultures”, Clinical Epidemiology, 48: 657-666. 
Luisa Blanchfield (2009). The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: 
Background and Policy Issues 
Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census Reports 
Medium Term Development Plan of Kadjebi District Assembly (2010-2004) 
National Social Protection Strategy, 2008 
N. E. Reichman, H. Corman, K. Noonan, 2007, Impact of Child Disability on the Family, 
Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 
Persons with Disability Act (Act 715) of 2006 
UNECOSOC (2003), Social Statistics: Disability Statistics, E/ESCAP/SOS/2, New York.  
UNICEF (1980), Childhood Disability: its Prevention and Rehabilitation, UNICEF Document 
EI/L.1410, New York.  
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UNICEF (2000), Monitoring Progress Toward the Goals of the World Summit for Children: 
End-decade Multiple Indicator Survey Manual, Division of Evaluation, Policy and 
Planning, New York.  
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) 
UNITED NATIONS (1986), Development of Statistics of Disabled Persons: Case Studies, 
United Nations, New York.  
UNITED NATIONS (1988), Development of Statistical Concepts and Methods on Disability for 
Household Surveys, United Nations, New York.  
UNITED NATIONS (1990), Disability Statistics Compendium, United Nations, New York.  
UNITED NATIONS (1996), Manual for the Development of Statistical Information for 
Disability Programme and Policies, United Nations, New York.  
UNITED NATIONS (2001), Guidelines and Principles for the Development of Disability 
Statistics, United Nations, New York.  
UNITED NATIONS (2003), The Collection and Dissemination of Statistics on Disability at the 
United Nations Statistics Division: Proposals for the Future, United Nations, New York.  
WHO (2001), International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities, and Handicaps, ISBN 92 
4 1545 42 9, WHO, Geneva.  
World Disability Report, 2011 
Zinkin P., Mc Conachie H. (eds) (1995), Disabled Children and Developing Countries, 
MacKeith Press, London. 
 
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APPENDICES 
Sample of Questionnaire 
UNIVERSITY OF GHANA 
CENTRE FOR SOCIAL POLICY STUDIES 
 
Dear Respondent, 
The researcher is a final year student of Centre for Social Policy Studies, University of Ghana, 
Legon who is undertaking this study in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of 
Master of Arts Degree in Social Policy Studies. 
This is a brief questionnaire, investigating social protection facilities in your community and its 
effect on the well-being of children with disability. Please respond truthfully and give as much 
information as possible and note that no answer is wrong or right. 
Please be assured that all information provided would be treated with absolute confidentiality. 
Thank you. 
 
SECTION A Demographic Variables 
1.  Sex  a. Male [   ]    b. Female [   ] 
 
2. How old are you?  (Age in years) ………………………………. 
 
3.             With whom are you staying?   
 
a. Mother [   ] b. Father [   ] c. Both Parents [   ]     d. Other [   ] 
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4.  Are you attending school?        Yes [   ]  No[   ] 
  If yes, what class are you? ………………………………………………………. 
  If no, why?......................................... ...................................................................... 
  …………………………………………………………………………………….. 
  …………………………………………………………………………………….. 
5. What type of disability do you have? 
 Sight impairment  [    ] 
 Moving difficulty  [    ]   
 Mental disability  [    ]   
 Speech disability  [    ]   
 Hearing impairment  [    ] 
 Others    [    ] 
 
SECTION B: 
 
Knowledge on Social Protection Programmes in Communities/School. 
This segment of the questionnaire seeks to capture information on how informed children with 
disability are concerning some social protection programmes /facilities in their communities and 
schools. To be completed by children with disability with the help of research assistant. 
 
 National Health Insurance Scheme(NHIS) 
6. Have you heard of NHIS?                                  Yes [    ]           No [    ] 
7. Do you know the NHIS local agent in your community? Yes  [    ]                   No [    ] 
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8. Are you registered with the scheme?        Yes [    ]             No [    ] 
9. Is your NHIS card active?                     Yes [    ]                        No [    ] 
10. If card is active, do you attend hospital/clinic with it? Yes[   ]             No [    ] 
11. If yes, do you get treatment?            Yes[   ]                          No [    ] 
12. If no, why? Give reason………………………………………………………………... 
…………………………………………………………………………………………. 
………………………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………………. 
 
 Free School Uniform and Exercise Book Policy. 
13. Are you aware of this policy/programme   Yes [    ]  No [   ] 
14. Does your school benefitted from this policy?  Yes [    ]             No[    ] 
a. If yes, are you a beneficiary of this programme Yes [    ]             No [   ] 
15. If yes, were you given the same quantity as others? Yes [    ]  No [   ] 
a. If no, why? Give Reason …………………………………………………………... 
………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………… 
 Health Facilities 
16. Is there a health facility in your community?  Yes [    ]           No[    ] 
17. Do you seek treatment there when you are sick?   Yes[    ]                    No[    ] 
18. Do you get good treatment like others?    Yes[    ]                    No[    ] 
19. Are you treated without discrimination?    Yes[    ]          No [    ]  
 
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 Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) 
This section should be completed only by respondents who have GSFP in their school. 
20. Are you a beneficiary of this programme   Yes [   ]          No[   ] 
21. Are you served the same quantity and quality of food just like other children without 
disability        Yes [    ]          No[    ] 
 
SECTION C: The Effect of all Programmes on Children with Disability 
This section measures the positive effect the programmes, that is, National Health 
Insurance Scheme, Ghana School Feeding Programme, Free School Uniform and 
Exercise Book Policy and Health care services on your well-being as a child with disability. 
Be as truthful as possible in your response to enable the researcher get the real and actual 
situation concerning children with disability and these social protection programmes. 
Use the codes provided below to answer the questions as truthful as possible. Circle the code 
that applies to your response. 
Strongly Agree              Agree           Undecided       Disagree              Strongly Disagree  
         5                             4                        3                  2                                   1 
22.   These programmes are relevant to the needs of children with disability 
1 2 3 4 5 
             23.   These programmes positively affect the lives of children with disability. 
 1 2 3 4 5 
  24.  These programmes have contributed to my well-being as a child with disability. 
    
1 2 3 4 5 
 
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SECTION D:   FAMILY SUPPORT 
This section aims at getting responses from the respondents on the level of support extended to them by 
their family. Use the codes as used earlier. 
    25.    I am treated with respect just like any other child in my family 
  1 2 3 4 5 
                26.   My family provides my needs (education, clothes, food, shelter and healthcare) 
    1 2 3 4 5 
27.  My family does not discriminate against me because of my disability. 
    1 2 3 4 5 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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How old are you 
 
Frequency Percent 
Valid 
Percent 
Cumulative 
Percent 
Valid 10.00 1 2.1 2.1 2.1 
12.00 7 14.6 14.6 16.7 
13.00 15 31.3 31.3 47.9 
14.00 5 10.4 10.4 58.3 
15.00 13 27.1 27.1 85.4 
16.00 3 6.3 6.3 91.7 
17.00 4 8.3 8.3 100.0 
Total 48 100.0 100.0  
 
Are you attending school? 
 
Frequency Percent 
Valid 
Percent 
Cumulative 
Percent 
Valid Yes 48 100.0 100.0 100.0 
 
 
Have you heard of NHIS? 
 
Frequency Percent 
Valid 
Percent 
Cumulative 
Percent 
Valid Yes 48 100.0 100.0 100.0 
 
 
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Do you know the NHIS local agent in your community? 
 
Frequency Percent 
Valid 
Percent 
Cumulative 
Percent 
Valid Yes 12 25.0 25.0 25.0 
No 36 75.0 75.0 100.0 
Total 48 100.0 100.0  
 
 
Are you registered with the scheme? 
 
Frequency Percent 
Valid 
Percent 
Cumulative 
Percent 
Valid Yes 48 100.0 100.0 100.0 
 
 
Is your NHIS card active? 
 
Frequency Percent 
Valid 
Percent 
Cumulative 
Percent 
Valid Yes 48 100.0 100.0 100.0 
 
 
If card is active, do you attend hospital / clinic with it? 
 
Frequency Percent 
Valid 
Percent 
Cumulative 
Percent 
Valid Yes 48 100.0 100.0 100.0 
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If yes, do you get treatment? 
 
Frequency Percent 
Valid 
Percent 
Cumulative 
Percent 
Valid Yes 48 100.0 100.0 100.0 
 
Are you aware of Free school uniform and exercise book 
policy? 
 
Frequency Percent 
Valid 
Percent 
Cumulative 
Percent 
Valid Yes 36 75.0 75.0 75.0 
No 12 25.0 25.0 100.0 
Total 48 100.0 100.0  
 
Does your school benefit from the free school uniform and 
exercise book policy? 
 
Frequency Percent 
Valid 
Percent 
Cumulative 
Percent 
Valid Yes 48 100.0 100.0 100.0 
If yes, are you a beneficiary of the free school uniform and 
free exercise book policy? 
 
 
Frequency Percent 
Valid 
Percent 
Cumulative 
Percent 
Valid Yes 36 75.0 75.0 75.0 
No 12 25.0 25.0 100.0 
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Does your school benefit from the free school uniform and 
exercise book policy? 
 
Frequency Percent 
Valid 
Percent 
Cumulative 
Percent 
Total 48 100.0 100.0  
 
 
If yes, were you given the same quantity as others? 
 Frequency Percent 
 Yes 48 100.0 
 Total 48 100.0 
 
 
 
Is there a health facility in your community? 
 
Frequency Percent 
Valid 
Percent 
Cumulative 
Percent 
Valid Yes 48 100.0 100.0 100.0 
 
 
 
 
 
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Do you seek treatment there when you are sick? 
 
Frequency Percent 
Valid 
Percent 
Cumulative 
Percent 
Valid Yes 48 100.0 100.0 100.0 
 
 
 
Do you get good treatment like others? 
 
Frequency Percent 
Valid 
Percent 
Cumulative 
Percent 
Valid Yes 48 100.0 100.0 100.0 
 
 
Are you a beneficiary of the GSFP? 
 
Frequency Percent 
Valid 
Percent 
Cumulative 
Percent 
Valid Yes 48 100.0 100.0 100.0 
 
 
Are you served the same quantity and quality of food just like 
other children without disability? 
 
Frequency Percent 
Valid 
Percent 
Cumulative 
Percent 
Valid Yes 48 100.0 100.0 100.0 
 
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