Vulnerability

Persons with disabilities (PWDs) have been defined as those who are unable to or were restricted in the performance of specific tasks or activities due to loss of function of some part of the body as a result of impairment or malformation (Ghana Statistical Service, 2012). As a result, PWDs face a wide range of life challenges. This is because, disability in whatever form, can reduce an individual’s ability to function to his or her full potential.

This chapter therefore, seeks to find out the population with disability in the District, types of disability, distribution by sex and locality of residence as well as disability and education, literacy and economic activity in the District.

 Population with Disability

Table 6.1 presents the population of the Biakoye District by type of locality, disability status and sex. The results of the 2010 PHC show that there are 3,616 PWDs in the District, representing 5.5 percent of its total population. The proportions of male and female PWDs are 5.4 percent and 5.6 percent respectively. PWDs are slightly higher among females than males in both rural and urban areas.

Analysis of PWDs by type of locality of residence indicates that, majority of them reside in rural areas (5.8%) compared to 4.9 percent in urban areas. In terms of sex, in urban localities, female PWDs have slightly higher proportion (4.9%) than males (4.8%) in the District. Similarly, in rural localities female PWDs form a moderately higher proportion (5.9%) than males (5.7%).

Types of Disability

Figure 6.1 indicates the various types of disability found in the District which include sight, physical, hearing, speech, intellectual and emotional. Analysis of the data indicates that sight is the commonest form of disability (61.0%) in the District followed by physical (20.0%) and hearing disability (12.0%). Emotional disability is the least among the types of disability representing 8 percent (the same proportion as other (not specified) in the District). Among all the disability types, there are more females with sight, physical and hearing disabilities compared to men in the District.