Physical Disability, Rights and Stigma in Ghana: A Review of Literature

Abstract

Purpose: This is a survey of peer-reviewed articles focussed on the causes and consequences of stigma towards persons with physical disability in Ghana.Method: After a systematic search of the online databases EBSCOhost, ProQuest, PubMEd and Web of Science for peer-reviewed articles on disability in Ghana, 26 articles were chosen for critical review. The three main selection criteria were: the articles had to be peer-reviewed, they had to be based on interviews with Ghanaians in the field, and they had to discuss stigma and human rights. For analysis, the content of the articles was grouped under two sections: major themes (human rights, causes of stigma, consequences of stigma) and policy recommendations (economics, medical services/healthcare, affirmative action, attitudes and awareness-raising, inclusion of cultural beliefs).Results: This review found that most of the studies attribute stigma to negative attitudes towards Ghanaians with disability, and many highlight beliefs among Ghanaians that disability is caused by spiritual and supernatural forces. The consequences, according to most authors, are social, economic and political exclusion. Policy recommendations include improving government policy, increasing funding for disability programmes, changing public attitudes, and paying attention to Ghanaian culture and tradition in designing disability interventions. While these are valid points, the authors of this paper are of the opinion that the literature also suffers from lack of a deep understanding of the historical and socio-cultural roots of supernatural beliefs in Ghana. Conclusion: The 26 studies discussed in this review show that since 2006 very good work has been produced on disability in Ghana, especially by Ghanaian disability scholars. It is hypothesised, however, that a full understanding of disability and stigma in Ghana must be based on deeper research into the roots of the beliefs that drive stigma. Future work therefore should focus on deepening the analysis of cultural beliefs towards disability in Ghana, in order to understand fully the roots of culturally-based disability stigma. More research into the economic causes and consequences of disability is also recommended, without which a full analysis of cultural stigma will not be possible.

A Qualitative Investigation of the Psychosocial Impact of Chronic Low Back Pain in Ghana

“…Some participants in the current study relayed their fears concerning disability and the use of aids. This fear of disability and possibility of using aids may be linked to Ghanaian cultural representations that associate disability with supernatural causes and stigmatisation has been reported in a critical review of physical disability, rights and stigma in Ghana 63. However, other studies conducted in developed countries have also reported patients’ fear of future disability 14 25 64 65.…”

Restricted participation: Drivers, experiences and implications of disability stigma in Ethiopia

“…While the literature acknowledges social norms and traditional beliefs as general driver of disability stigma, less effort has been made to disaggregate the data and to derive disability-specific patterns (Grischow et al 2018 ; Mostert 2016 ; Rohwerder 2018 ). Public stigma of persons with disabilities, for example, results from different beliefs.…”

“…Previous studies have investigated the relationship between disability, stigma and disability rights; however, their focus is based on assumptions around the existence of disability stigma rather than critically interrogating the drivers and experiences associated with this as experienced by persons with disabilities (Grischow et al 2018 ; Mostert 2016 ; Rohwerder 2018 ). Other disability-related literature targets predominantly health and education (Mostert 2016 ; White et al 2018 :21ff.…”

Leadership for change: pathways to activism for African women with disability

“…To better understand how African women with disability embrace leadership, it is important to consider how disability is politically, socially, and culturally constructed. superstitious or religious/magical views of disability have a long history in African countries (Grischow et al 2018; setume 2016). One striking example can be found in the myths that surround albinism.…”

“…In African nations, people with disability struggle with marginalisation, social exclusion, human rights violations, and violence (Eide et al 2011). The treatment of African people with disability and the resulting exclusion can be traced to underlying powerful, negative beliefs regarding disability (Grischow et al 2018). Women with disability are a particularly vulnerable group that faces a triplex of disadvantage and marginalisation due to the nexus of poverty, disability, and their gender (Kabia et al 2018;Muthukrishna, sokoyo, and Moodley 2009).…”