CALID engages visually impaired students, calls for stronger support for inclusive education
The Centre for Active Learning and Integrated Development (CALID) has engaged visually impaired students and executives of the Ghana Blind Union (GBU) as part of efforts to assess the progress of beneficiaries supported to access education.
The engagement, held on Friday, September 4, 2026, brought together visually impaired students, particularly beneficiaries from the Wa School for the Blind, as well as representatives of the GBU. The meeting formed part of CALID’s project monitoring activities aimed at assessing the impact of its educational support on beneficiaries.
The students expressed gratitude to CALID for the assistance, saying the support had played a significant role in enabling them to remain in school. Some of the beneficiaries indicated that without the intervention, their families would have struggled to afford their educational needs and, in some cases, they might not have been able to return to school.
They, however, appealed to other civil society organisations to increase support for persons with visual impairment, citing persistent challenges including stigma and discrimination from members of the public.
The Regional Executives of the Ghana Blind Union also called for more Senior High Schools to admit students with visual impairment to make education more accessible. They said the limited number of schools offering opportunities to visually impaired students often forces beneficiaries to travel long distances to access education.
Parents and caregivers equally highlighted the difficulties they face in supporting visually impaired children, particularly the cost and logistics involved in transporting them to and from school. They called on government and civil society organisations to prioritise persons with disabilities in development programmes and provide sustainable support to improve their access to education.
The majority of the beneficiaries engaged by CALID are students from the Northern Region attending the Wa School for the Blind, while one beneficiary is pursuing a degree programme at the University of Education, Winneba.
Source: Northwebonline.com
