Do Persons with Disabilities Really Participate in Community Development Services in Ghana? Evidence from the Adenta Municipality

Abstract

This study examined the views of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) with respect to their participation in community development services in Ghana from the perspective of the Adenta Municipality, Greater Accra Region. The study was a mixed method involving 50 PWDs. Researcher-administered survey and focus group discussion methods were used for data collection. Frequencies, percentages and content analysis were used for analysing the data obtained. The study found that though various community development projects had been undertaken in the Municipality most of these projects were not PWD-friendly. It was discovered that the participation of PWDs in planning, implementing, and evaluating development projects in the Municipality was low. Again, the study found that a one-way directional form of communication characterized community development services in the Municipality. Besides, communication challenges faced by PWDs in community development include inadequate information, poor consultation, and poor engagement. Moreover, existing communication strategies used by development actors particularly do not promote the active participation of PWDs in community development. This has resulted in a feeling of exclusion among PWDs in the design, planning and execution of community development initiatives. The study highlights the need for better communication strategies in community development practice that are inclusive of PWDs. The study offered a number of policy recommendations including the need for development actors in the Municipality to devise measures to identify PWDs groups, send them messages about development issues, involve them in community development decisions at all stages, and adopt more proactive and innovative measures to improve communication in community development practice. Keywords: Communication, Community Development, Participation, Persons with Disability