Browsing by Author "Mprah, Wisdom Kwadwo"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Access to employment in Kenya: the voices of persons with disabilities
    (De Gruyter, 2016-06-22) Opoku, Maxwell Peprah; Mprah, Wisdom Kwadwo; Dogbe, Joslin Alexei; Moitui, Joash Norman; Badu, Eric
    Introduction: Unemployment is one of the major challenges facing persons with disabilities worldwide. Persons with disabilities experience significantly high rates of unemployment compared with the general population, and are often employed in low-paid jobs. This could indicate a missing link in identifying employment opportunities and impeding factors to the opportunities. This study examined access to employment opportunities for persons with disabilities in the Nairobi County in Kenya. Method: An exploratory study design, using qualitative methods, was conducted with three categories of persons with disabilities: the physically disabled, the visually impaired, and the hearing impaired. A convenient sampling was used to recruit 30 participants from five constituencies in Embakasi in the Nairobi County. Findings: The study found that access to employment for persons with disabilities in the study area was limited. Factors responsible for the high unemployment include inaccessible information on employment, negative attitudes, inaccessible physical environment, low educational attainment of persons with disabilities, and ineffective legislation on employment. Conclusion: The lack of employment opportunities for persons with disabilities in Kenya suggests that poverty reduction among persons with disabilities will be difficult. Therefore, efforts should be made through implementation of effective policies to remove barriers hindering access to employment for persons with disabilities in Kenya
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Lives of persons with disabilities in Cameroon after CRPD: voices of persons with disabilities in the Buea Municipality in Cameroon
    (De Gruyter, 2016-03-08) Opoku, Maxwell Peprah; Mprah, Wisdom Kwadwo; Mckenzie, Judith; Sakah, Bernard Nsaidzedze; Badu, Eric
    The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) has been touted as a major breakthrough towards achieving equal rights for persons with disabilities. The promulgation of the convention provided clear guidelines for signatory countries to revise their legislation as well as to formulate policies that will take into consideration the needs of persons with disabilities. As Cameroon is a signatory to the convention, it is expected that disability-friendly policies have been implemented to enhance the living conditions of persons with disabilities. This study examined, from the perspectives of participants, the life experiences of persons with disabilities in the Buea Municipality 7 years after Cameroon signed the CRPD. Methods: The study adopted a qualitative method, involving focus-group discussions with 36 participants from three disability groups: hearing impaired, visually impaired, and physically impaired. Findings: The study found that persons with disabilities in the Buea Municipality faced many challenges in their daily endeavors. These challenges are a result of a lack of inclusive policies, leading to their exclusion from social and economic activities such as education, employment, and healthcare. Conclusions: Although the study is limited in scope, the findings suggest that persons with disabilities in the Buea Municipality were yet to benefit from the CRPD. It is, therefore, suggested that the government of Cameroon should formulate inclusive policies to address the numerous challenges facing persons with disabilities in the Buea Municipality.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Relevance of vocational training programme for persons with disabilities in the Ashanti Region of Ghana
    (Intergrated Science, 2015-12-02) Gyamfi1, Naomi; Mprah, Wisdom Kwadwo; Edusei, Anthony Kwaku; Dogbe, Joslin Alexei; Owusu, Isaac
    Providing employment for persons with disabilities is very important because it provides opportunities for self-sufficiency and improvement in their living condition. The aim of vocational training for persons with disabilities is to enable them to acquire skills that are relevant to the current labour market demands. This study investigated the relevance of vocational training programmes at three vocational training centers in the Ashanti Region of Ghana to persons with disabilities. A mixed methods design was used to assess the relevance of vocational training programme at the three vocational training centers. A total of 118 participants participated in the study. They consisted of 108 past trainees who took part in the survey, and three directors and seven institutors who participated in in-depth interviews. The findings indicated that the vocational training programmes were not all that relevant to the employment needs of many of the graduates although some of the graduates had benefited immensely from the training. The findings are an indication of the need to restructure vocational training programmes in Ghana to make them more relevant to the employment needs of all trainees.