About this guide
"Disability is not inability." Disabled people can learn every trade in this hub, if the hub removes the barriers.
Who it is for. Every person who works at or with the hub: managers, trainers, assessors, cleaners and security, trainees, and families.
Why it matters
- About 8% of Ghanaians aged 5 and over (2.1 million people) have difficulty performing activities; seeing difficulty is the most common.
- 470,737 Ghanaians have some hearing loss.
- 39% of disabled people aged 5 and over have never attended school.
- A study of 18 Ghanaian technical schools found students with impairments were only 1.1% of enrolment, no school passed a barrier-free check, instructors lacked training and stigma was common.
Unit 1 · Why inclusion, and what the law says
Including disabled trainees is the right thing to do, and the law requires it.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the participant… |
|---|---|
| 1.1 Know the law | names the Disability Act and the UN Convention |
| 1.2 Know the duties | states the duty to make places and services accessible |
| 1.3 Know the gaps | describes how far Ghana still has to go |
Evidence. Oral questions.
The law
- The Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715) requires owners of places the public uses to make them accessible, bans discrimination in employment unless the disability is relevant to the job, and gives tax rebates to employers of disabled people.
- Ghana ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2012.
- A revised disability bill is awaiting Cabinet approval in 2026, with stronger anti-discrimination and enforceable accessibility standards.
- Ghana's Inclusive Education Policy (2015) is built on Universal Design for Learning.
The gap
A 2025 audit of over 60 public facilities in 10 districts found only 14% had any retrofitting and only 8% had accessible toilets.
Look around
Walk around the hub. List three things that would stop a wheelchair user, a blind person or a deaf person.
Unit 2 · Words and attitudes
The way we speak shows whether we respect people.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the participant… |
|---|---|
| 2.1 Use respectful words | avoids insulting terms; asks people their preference |
| 2.2 Challenge stigma | responds politely to disrespectful talk |
Evidence. Role play.
Words
Media trainings in Ghana call terms such as "deaf and dumb" offensive, and advise not defining people by their impairment and not portraying them as "superhuman". Many local-language words and sayings about disability are insulting.
- Say "deaf person", "blind person", "wheelchair user", "person with a disability".
- Don't say "deaf and dumb", "cripple", "suffering from", "confined to a wheelchair".
- Ask each person what they prefer.
- Speak to the person, not their helper or interpreter.
- Offer help, then wait for the answer.
Role play
- In pairs, one person uses a disrespectful word; the other corrects it politely.
- Practise offering help and accepting "No, thank you."
Local words
Write down local-language words for disabilities. Which are respectful? Which are not?
Unit 3 · Deaf trainees and sign language
Deaf trainees can learn any trade if they can see the lesson. Learn some sign, use pictures, and work with interpreters.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the participant… |
|---|---|
| 3.1 Use deaf etiquette | gets attention and communicates correctly |
| 3.2 Use basic GSL | greets, introduces self and signs ten workshop words |
| 3.3 Work with an interpreter | speaks to the deaf person, not the interpreter |
| 3.4 Make it visual | prepares picture instructions and visual alarms |
Evidence. Observation; signed introduction.
Ghanaian Sign Language
Ghanaian Sign Language grew from American Sign Language brought by Andrew Foster, a deaf American who opened Ghana's first school for deaf children in 1957. It is not yet legally recognised, and there are far too few interpreters. A Harmonised Ghanaian Sign Language Dictionary was launched in 2024, and a free GhSL Dictionary phone app has over 2,300 signs.
Deaf etiquette
- Get attention with a tap on the shoulder, a wave, or by flicking the lights.
- Face the person; keep your hands and food away from your mouth; do not stand with your back to a window.
- Do not shout. Not every deaf person lip-reads.
- With an interpreter, look at and speak to the deaf person.
Make the workshop visual
- Picture and photo instructions for every task.
- Agreed hand signals for "stop", "danger", "come", "good".
- Visual alarms (flashing lights) as well as sound.
- A buddy for risky tasks.
Deaf workers already succeed in Ghana: at a Tema garment factory, supervisors learned sign language and over 200 deaf seamstresses are being trained and employed, and a deaf hairdresser uses phone pictures and a style chart with clients.
Sign and show
- With a deaf facilitator or the app, learn to sign: hello, my name is, thank you, stop, danger, good, again, finish, tool, water.
- Introduce yourself in sign.
- Make a picture instruction sheet for one task in your trade.
Practise daily
Learn five new signs from the GhSL app every day for a week.
Unit 4 · Blind and low-vision trainees
Blind people learn by touch and sound. Describe clearly, guide safely, and give them the tools.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the participant… |
|---|---|
| 4.1 Guide safely | uses the sighted guide technique |
| 4.2 Know braille basics | reads letters a–j on a braille cell |
| 4.3 Make materials accessible | prepares large-print and audio materials |
| 4.4 Use technology | knows screen readers and tactile tools |
Evidence. Guided walk; braille exercise.
Sighted guide
Ask first. Let the person hold your arm just above the elbow and walk half a step behind. In narrow spaces, move your arm behind your back so they walk behind you. Say "step up" or "step down" and pause at stairs. Tell them which way doors open. A white cane with red bands means the person is both blind and deaf.
Braille basics
A braille cell has six dots: 1-2-3 down the left, 4-5-6 down the right. Letters a–j use only dots 1, 2, 4 and 5.
| Letter | Dots | Letter | Dots |
|---|---|---|---|
| a | 1 | f | 1-2-4 |
| b | 1-2 | g | 1-2-4-5 |
| c | 1-4 | h | 1-2-5 |
| d | 1-4-5 | i | 2-4 |
| e | 1-5 | j | 2-4-5 |
Letters k–t are the same as a–j with dot 3 added.
Print and technology
- Large print: at least 16 pt, sans-serif font, high contrast, left-aligned, no underlining.
- Screen readers: TalkBack on Android and NVDA on Windows are free.
- Tactile tools in workshops: raised marks on tools and controls.
Guide and read
- Guide a blindfolded partner through the hub, including a door and steps; then swap.
- Make letters a–j with an egg carton; read a partner's word by touch.
- Turn a handout into large print.
Describe a task
Write a description of one task in your trade that a blind trainee could follow without pictures.
Unit 5 · Physical access and workstations
If a wheelchair user cannot get in, reach the bench or use the toilet, they cannot train.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the participant… |
|---|---|
| 5.1 Measure access | measures ramps, doors and corridors |
| 5.2 Adapt workstations | sets up a seated workstation |
| 5.3 Audit the hub | completes the accessibility audit |
Evidence. Completed audit.
Key measurements
- Ramps: no steeper than 1 in 12, with handrails on both sides. Gentler is better: one Ghana audit recommended 1 in 15.
- Doors: at least about 91 cm wide; thresholds no higher than 1.3 cm; corridors at least 120 cm wide, with a 160 × 160 cm turning space.
- Workstations: height-adjustable or with knee space, controls and emergency stops within reach when seated, and good task lighting of at least 500 lux.
Hub accessibility audit
- Measure the entrance ramp slope, door widths, corridors and the toilet.
- Try every route in a wheelchair.
- Check one workstation per trade for seated use.
- Record what passes and what needs fixing, with cost estimates.
One fix
Choose one cheap fix from the audit and plan how to do it this month.
Unit 6 · Teach and assess inclusively
Teach in more than one way, and let trainees show their skill in more than one way.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the participant… |
|---|---|
| 6.1 Use Universal Design for Learning | plans a lesson with several ways to learn and to show learning |
| 6.2 Adapt assessment | adapts how evidence is gathered without lowering the standard |
| 6.3 Plan for emergencies | prepares a personal evacuation plan and buddy |
Evidence. Adapted lesson plan; evacuation plan.
Universal Design for Learning
Give learners several ways to stay motivated, several ways to take in information (show, tell, touch), and several ways to show what they can do. Ghana's Inclusive Education Policy uses this approach.
Fair assessment
Competency-based assessment judges whether the person can do the task to the standard. Keep the standard; change the method: sign or written questions instead of spoken ones, a portfolio of photos and products, extra time, a seated workstation.
Emergencies
Write a personal emergency evacuation plan for each trainee who needs help, assign a buddy, and use visual alarms.
Adapt a lesson
- Take one lesson from your trade manual.
- Add a picture or demonstration, a touch-based step and a signed or written check.
- Plan how a deaf, a blind and a wheelchair-using trainee would each be assessed.
- Write an evacuation plan for one trainee.
Ask a trainee
Ask a disabled trainee what helps them learn best. Change one thing in your teaching.
Unit 7 · Partners and funding
Work with disabled people's organisations and the Assembly. They bring trainees, expertise and money.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the participant… |
|---|---|
| 7.1 Know the partners | names local disability organisations and schools |
| 7.2 Know the funding | explains the disability fund and other support |
| 7.3 Plan outreach | writes a plan to reach disabled trainees |
Evidence. Outreach plan.
Partners
- Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD): the umbrella body; it works with Assemblies on the disability fund in the Western Region.
- Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD) and Ghana Blind Union (GBU), which has a Western Region branch.
- Sekondi School for the Deaf at Inchaban, with a vocational centre for sewing and bead-making.
- Light for the World and Sightsavers run employment programmes for young disabled people in Ghana.
Funding
- The Assemblies' disability fund rose from 3% to 5% in 2026 and is to be budgeted with the local GFD; guidance now favours skills training, assistive devices and business capital over one-off handouts.
- Caregivers or social workers can apply for a person, and enterprise agencies sit on the fund committees.
- GEA has run a grant programme for businesses owned by persons with disabilities.
Outreach plan
- List three local organisations and how to contact them.
- Plan how to tell disabled people about hub courses (radio, churches, schools, GFD meetings).
- Draft a request to the Assembly's disability fund committee for training places or equipment, using your audit.
First contact
Call or visit one partner organisation and introduce the hub.
Glossary
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Accessibility | Making places, information and services usable by everyone |
| Braille cell | Six raised dots used to make letters |
| Competent / Not Yet Competent | The two possible results of a CBT assessment |
| GSL | Ghanaian Sign Language |
| Interpreter | A person who translates between sign and speech |
| Screen reader | Software that reads the screen aloud |
| Sighted guide | A safe way to guide a blind person |
| UDL | Universal Design for Learning |
Logbook
Keep these records in a staff file.
- Unit 1: list of barriers found
- Unit 2: respectful words list
- Unit 3: signed introduction; picture instruction sheet
- Unit 4: guided walk; braille exercise; large-print handout
- Unit 5: completed accessibility audit
- Unit 6: adapted lesson plan; evacuation plan
- Unit 7: outreach plan; request draft
Self-check quiz
- Which law protects disabled people in Ghana?
- How do you get a deaf person's attention?
- Who do you look at when using an interpreter?
- Where can you find Ghanaian Sign Language signs?
- How do you guide a blind person?
- Which dots make the letter "c" in braille?
- What is the steepest ramp allowed?
- What does Universal Design for Learning mean?
- How do you assess a deaf trainee fairly?
- What happened to the Assembly disability fund in 2026?
Further reading and sources
Best next reads: the KNUST/GIZ inclusive TVET design guideline; the Harmonised GSL Dictionary; RNIB's guide to guiding people with sight loss.
What this guide does not cover: full sign-language or braille courses (take them with GNAD or GBU), intellectual and psychosocial disabilities in depth, and detailed building design.
Every source used in this manual is listed, with links, in the Teacher Copy.