Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation
12-2025
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph. D.
Department
Sociology
Degree Program
College of Arts and Sciences
Committee Chair
Heberle, Lauren
Committee Member
Best, Latrica
Committee Member
Carini, Robert
Committee Member
Taniguchi, Hiromi
Author's Keywords
Disability Rights; Ghana; CRPD implementation
Abstract
As Ghana continues to pursue inclusion and equality for disabled citizens, considerable tension remains between international human rights frameworks and local social, legal, and cultural practices. Guided by social constructionism and Critical Disability Theory (CDT), this qualitative, chapter-based study examined how disability is constructed through law, policy, and culture in Ghana. It also explored how these constructions influence the interpretation and implementation of disability rights. To achieve this, the study employed semi-structured interviews and document analysis to examine how law, policy, and cultural beliefs intersect to influence the implementation of the CRPD and lived experience of disabled Ghanaians.
Findings show that disabled people in Ghana continue to face significant barriers to education, employment, healthcare, and social participation. These barriers stem from stigma, inaccessible environments, and policy approaches that continue to locate disability within the individual body rather than within broader social structures. Public discourse and cultural narratives that frame disability as misfortune or a curse further entrench marginalization, shaping attitudes and influencing how disability policies are interpreted and enacted.
Overall, the study showed that Ghana’s disability rights framework remains largely symbolic, hindered by legal ambiguities, limited political will, and inadequate funding. This study thus contributes to the literature by showing how the CRPD is mediated by local cultural meanings and institutional practices. It concludes by recommending the harmonization of national legislation with the CRPD, the passage of the long-delayed Legislative Instrument for Ghana’s Disability Act (Act 715), and the empowerment of disability organizations to ensure that the principle of “Nothing About Us Without Us” becomes a lived reality.
Recommended Citation
Amoatey, Solomon Sackey, "“The moment you are disabled; you are cut off from society.” Assessing the experiences of disabled Ghanaians and the rights enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)." (2025). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4647.
Retrieved from https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd/4647
