Browsing by Author "Badu, Eric"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Access to employment in Kenya: the voices of persons with disabilities
    (De Gruyter, 2016-06-22) Opoku, Maxwell Peprah; Mprah, Wisdom Kwadwo; Dogbe, Joslin Alexei; Moitui, Joash Norman; Badu, Eric
    Introduction: Unemployment is one of the major challenges facing persons with disabilities worldwide. Persons with disabilities experience significantly high rates of unemployment compared with the general population, and are often employed in low-paid jobs. This could indicate a missing link in identifying employment opportunities and impeding factors to the opportunities. This study examined access to employment opportunities for persons with disabilities in the Nairobi County in Kenya. Method: An exploratory study design, using qualitative methods, was conducted with three categories of persons with disabilities: the physically disabled, the visually impaired, and the hearing impaired. A convenient sampling was used to recruit 30 participants from five constituencies in Embakasi in the Nairobi County. Findings: The study found that access to employment for persons with disabilities in the study area was limited. Factors responsible for the high unemployment include inaccessible information on employment, negative attitudes, inaccessible physical environment, low educational attainment of persons with disabilities, and ineffective legislation on employment. Conclusion: The lack of employment opportunities for persons with disabilities in Kenya suggests that poverty reduction among persons with disabilities will be difficult. Therefore, efforts should be made through implementation of effective policies to remove barriers hindering access to employment for persons with disabilities in Kenya
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Healthcare Accessibility Barriers Confronting Persons with Disabilities in the Kumasi Metropolis
    (2015-02-10) Badu, Eric
    The World Health Organization (WHO) estimate that 10% to 15% of developing countries population live with disability. It translates to about 2.4 million to 3.6 million Ghanaians living with disability. Unmet needs to health services are a major challenge to disable persons. However, there is little evidence on healthcare accessibility barriers for disable persons to inform policy design and implementation of appropriate interventions. This study aimed at assessing the extent of healthcare accessibility barriers that persons with disabilities are confronted with. A cross-sectional study involving interviews using semi-structured questionnaires was conducted with PWDs (the physically challenged and the, Hearing and Visual impaired) in the Kumasi Metropolis. The study used a multi-stage sampling to randomly select respondents from five (5) communities; Oforikrom, Subin, Asawase, Tafo and Asokwa. Data were analysed using the SPSS software programme. Data were analysis involved descriptive and analytical statistics at 95% confidence interval. Results showed that although respondents faced physical, communication and medical equipment barriers to healthcare, those with physical and communication barriers had significant relationship with access to the healthcare (p=0.018; p=0.001) whereas those with medical equipment barriers had no significant relationship (p>0.005). The NHIS was used by most respondents as source of payment for healthcare as it had a significant relationship with access to the services (p=0.000), although, it does not cover equipment and other expenses. An average monthly expense on healthcare was GHC 21.46 (USD 6.0) which constitutes 9.8% of respondents’ income such that females and physically disabled spend higher than males and other disability group. Demographic variables such as Community of resident, age and disability type had significant relationship with respondents’ access to healthcare (p<0.005). The study concludes that access to health care among PWDs is limited and varies with types of disability in favour of the physically and communication challenged.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Lives of persons with disabilities in Cameroon after CRPD: voices of persons with disabilities in the Buea Municipality in Cameroon
    (De Gruyter, 2016-03-08) Opoku, Maxwell Peprah; Mprah, Wisdom Kwadwo; Mckenzie, Judith; Sakah, Bernard Nsaidzedze; Badu, Eric
    The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) has been touted as a major breakthrough towards achieving equal rights for persons with disabilities. The promulgation of the convention provided clear guidelines for signatory countries to revise their legislation as well as to formulate policies that will take into consideration the needs of persons with disabilities. As Cameroon is a signatory to the convention, it is expected that disability-friendly policies have been implemented to enhance the living conditions of persons with disabilities. This study examined, from the perspectives of participants, the life experiences of persons with disabilities in the Buea Municipality 7 years after Cameroon signed the CRPD. Methods: The study adopted a qualitative method, involving focus-group discussions with 36 participants from three disability groups: hearing impaired, visually impaired, and physically impaired. Findings: The study found that persons with disabilities in the Buea Municipality faced many challenges in their daily endeavors. These challenges are a result of a lack of inclusive policies, leading to their exclusion from social and economic activities such as education, employment, and healthcare. Conclusions: Although the study is limited in scope, the findings suggest that persons with disabilities in the Buea Municipality were yet to benefit from the CRPD. It is, therefore, suggested that the government of Cameroon should formulate inclusive policies to address the numerous challenges facing persons with disabilities in the Buea Municipality.