PWDs call for disability-friendly designs in road construction

For persons with disabilities (PWDs), a newly built road or bridge can become another barrier when accessibility is overlooked.

The La Dade-Kotopon Municipal Assembly’s Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD) has called for greater involvement of PWDs in road project planning, warning that their exclusion can lead to inaccessible designs, safety risks and costly modifications.

The call follows concerns raised during an inspection of the Labone Junction Bridge, where the Federation’s Chairman, Anthony Kwame Adarkwah, and other PWDs questioned the design of the access points and walkway.

They insist that the walkway must meet accessibility standards to ensure safe and easy movement for wheelchair users and others with mobility challenges.

Adarkwah said the initial access route placed PWDs on the main road, exposing them to potential accidents. Although an alternative route is being constructed behind the road, he stressed the need for its slope to meet the required accessibility standards.

“The accessible route initially provided for us was on the main road, which could expose us to accidents. We have now seen that an alternative route is being constructed behind the road, which is more suitable. What we want is for the slope to meet the required accessibility standards,” he said.

The Federation is also demanding an end to the exclusion of PWDs from public infrastructure planning, arguing that early consultations with affected communities would help identify design flaws and prevent costly adjustments after construction.

Adarkwah said the group was not consulted before work began on the bridge, prompting members to inspect the project before its completion to ensure their concerns were addressed.

“We were not contacted from the very beginning. Every construction project in a community should involve consultations with all stakeholders, including persons with disabilities and the aged. In this case, we only saw the project taking shape, so we decided not to wait until it was completed before inspecting it,” he stated.

Municipal Roads Engineer for La Dade-Kotopon, Gideon Kwame Toklo, said the concerns were being addressed following a letter from the group three weeks earlier.

He said the Assembly had mobilised the contractor to work on the access route, with the modifications expected to be completed within one to two weeks.

“We quickly mobilised the contractor to the site, and work has started. We have also made some efforts to ensure the concerns are addressed. I believe the work will be completed within a week or two,” he said.

Toklo added that the concrete would require at least 28 days to cure before the project could be inspected and commissioned.

Ghana’s legal framework provides for the protection and inclusion of persons with disabilities. Article 17 of the 1992 Constitution guarantees equality before the law and prohibits discrimination, while Article 29 safeguards the rights of PWDs.

The Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715), also provides for the consideration of the needs of PWDs in the design, construction and operation of transportation infrastructure.

The Federation says accessibility must be incorporated into public infrastructure from the planning stage, rather than treated as an afterthought that requires costly modifications after construction.