Abstract
This manuscript is part of a bigger study on inclusionary and exclusionary practices of children with disabilities in northern Ghana. In the past, because of attitudinal, structural and cultural barriers, children with disabilities were neglected and, in some cases, even excluded completely from the society. This paper argues that while Ghana has ratified many international conventions to protect persons with disabilities, the rights of children with certain disabilities are still in danger. Applying critical ethnographic methodological lens, Erving Goffman’s stigma theory, and cultural and moral disability models, this study explores twenty-six (26) participants’ views of exclusionary practices against children with disabilities in northern Ghana. The study finds that historical portrayal of disability in northern Ghana might have serious impact on the manner children with certain disabilities are treated; the actions of medicine men/spiritualist could lead to all forms of abuse. Finally, parents and families of children with certain disabilities might be pressured to resort to a range of exclusionary practices against their own children due to stigma and pressure from the communities. The study calls for comprehensive measures and effective community sensitization activities to stop all forms of exclusionary practices against children with disabilities, especially in the rural areas of Ghana.
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Alhassan, AR.K., Ridwan, A. Historical Portrayal of Children with Disabilities and Exclusionary Practices in Northern Ghana. Hu Arenas 7, 98–126 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42087-021-00265-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42087-021-00265-4