Most of us can relate with this: having been in class with a mate who was almost always last in class, pronounced words improperly, could barely spell their own names, nor got any answer right. Their attempts at an answer would stir up giggles even before they finished saying what they intended. We probably wondered:  “this is so easy; how can you not get it right?”

We called them names. Children can unknowingly be terrible bullies; and the worst part? Some of our teachers were not exempt in participating in these spirit-dampening behaviors. In fact, they sometimes started the taunting of these students.

Over time and having become more knowledgeable on learning disabilities I wish I could undo all the times I did not know better.

Learning disabilities can broadly be defined as a disorder in one or more basic psychological processes that may manifest itself as an imperfect ability in certain areas of learning such as reading, written expression, or mathematics. (Learning Disabilities Association of America, 2012).

Most commonly known learning disabilities include:

Dyslexia – difficulty in reading, writing and spelling.2013_dyslexia

Dysgraphia – difficulty in writing.

Dyspraxia – motor difficulties.

Dyscalculia – difficulty performing mathematical calculations.

Asperger’s syndrome and Autism – social communication difficulties.

In Ghana, there hardly exist any accurate statistics on children or adults with learning disabilities hence there is a difficulty in knowing how pervasive the situation is. People with disabilities are generally stigmatized. And as a society which still thrives on certain outdated cultural practices it gets worse with limitations pronounced on them. People with disabilities are usually prevented from occupying places of authority regardless of their competence. A reference to this instance was the uproar that met the appointment of a visually impaired lawyer, Dr. Henry Seidu Danaa as Minister of Chieftaincy and Traditional Affairs.

After years of lobbying, the Disability Act (Act 715) was approved by Parliament in 2006. The Act provides for Persons with Disabilities in the areas of employment, education, health care, transportation, justice administration, and access to public places. In the area of education, the government and Ghana Education Service (GES) recognizes the need for making schools disability friendly.

In reality all these pronouncements exist only on paper. Most public buildings including schools and transport system still remain disability unfriendly. Limited options exist for students with learning disabilities to attend schools with special needs, thereby forcing them to attend mainstream schools that are less attentive to their predicaments.

In such environments these students are erroneously described as stubborn, inattentive, hyperactive, extremely shy, difficult to handle, having low grades, spelling difficulties, language problems etc which are all signs of a possible learning disability yet are handled with impatience, name-calling and in most cases punishments from teachers. All which contribute in robbing them of their self-esteem.

And though there exist schools for children with special needs the public ones are either underfunded or affordability is a challenge as they are privately owned.

In some cases parents are aware of their children’s academic struggles however do not recognize it is as a condition in need of medical and professional help thereby send these children to prayer camps where unconventional methods are implemented in handling the situation.

As a growing nation it’s about time we made inclusion of people with special needs a top priority. Ensure the needs of these citizens are adequately catered for through better infrastructure, employment opportunities and tailored educational modules. Ultimately we should be able to reach a point where children with special needs who opt for mainstream schools are not alienated but rather feel inclusive; where teachers and fellow students would be more conscious and supportive towards peers with special needs.