5 The Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD)

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD); how and when it was formed, its aim and objectives; membership; past, present and future activities; how it is funded; and the achievements and challenges of the association. In this chapter, what necessitated the formation of the association and when it was formed and formally recognized in Ghana and by the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) will be addressed. The chapter will highlight the current number of GNAD members and GNAD’s prospects for growth. The governing structure of GNAD will be presented. The youth wing of GNAD and their current role in promoting the activities of the association will also be discussed. Based on comparisons made with sister associations of the Deaf from around the world, conclusions and recommendations will be made.

Keywords: Ghana, Deaf, National Association, Achievements, Challenges, Activities

Introduction

Rev. Dr. Andrew Foster, a Deaf African American and a graduate of Gallaudet University arrived in Ghana in 1957 his main aim being to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to deaf individuals and to introduce them to literacy and numeracy through sign communication (Oppong & Fobi, 2019). Foster’s activities could be said to have been the starting point where deaf people began to form communities that were for the purpose of advocacy work. An example of a deaf movement initiated by early Ghanaian deaf was what was named “Ghana Society of the Deaf” formed in between 1959 and 1962 (G. Amenumey, personal communication, November 2018). Although Deaf people in Ghana had begun to form communities whenever they come together in a specific geographic location long before Foster’s arrival in Ghana in 1957, these Deaf communities and their activities were not geared towards advocacy. The umbrella organization in Ghana that advocates for the welfare of D/deaf people, whether members or non-members, is the Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD). GNAD is said to have been formed as far back as 1968. The deaf people before this period were unrecognized individuals who were usually hidden from the public because of stigmatization by their families, killed through rituals such as by draining [what?] or buried alive (because they were considered a curse, or unpleasant spirit playing on the family) or, according to a victim, even exchanged for food commodities (Amedzofe, personal communication, November 2018).

Rev. Dr. Andrew J. Foster and Early Deaf Association

Until the introduction of formal education for the deaf in 1957, there was no movement for advocacy by deaf people even though they sometimes met up for social gatherings. Formal education for the deaf was introduced in Ghana in 1957 by the late Rev. Dr. Andrew J. Foster (Oppong & Fobi, 2019). As a pastor, Foster visited homes of deaf people in Accra to educate them. According to Ayi (R. Ayi, personal communication, November 2018) one of the oldest deaf people still alive (at the time of writing this chapter), Foster, while educating parents of the deaf on the importance and need for education, was advocating and motivating deaf people to socialize and come together in order to present a common front. Ayi said,

When my father did not like the idea of sending me to school because he wanted me to help on his fishing boat, Foster told him that the deaf people in America are living independent lives and doing a lot that is supporting their families and the deaf communities through education. After this, my passion for education was high and the desire to meet other deaf people was tempting. There were times when my father would beat me, resulting in a fight between him and my mother because I went to Foster’s private classes and spent some time with my deaf friends. (Personal communication, November 2018)

Oppong and Fobi (2019) espoused that Foster identified a few individuals aged over 10 years and enrolled them as students in his private residence in Accra. At that time, foster held classes for his students in the homes of parents of deaf children, but often educated his students in a primary school building on the weekends. Amenumey (personal communication, November 2018) said that although foster’s work was meant to preach the gospel and also educate the deaf, he could attribute the start of the deaf association to Foster’s work, stating that,

Dr. Tetteh Ocloo, Stephen Dadzie, Steve Boateng, myself (Pastor Godfrey Augustt), and a few other deaf people who travelled out of the country to further their education in the United States and other African countries in the early 1960s and returned to instigate the formation of the deaf association were all beneficiaries of Andrew Foster’s early educational initiative. (Augustt, personal communication, November 2018)

The inspirations and exemplary life of Foster gave deaf people the courage to start advocating for their rights. The first advocacy movement was the Ghana Society of the Deaf. Though the leaders of this association were not known, people like Mr. Godwin Amenumey, Mr. Humphrey Akaba, and Mr. Jonathan Amuah (all of whom are still alive at the time of writing this chapter) are a few known deaf individuals who claimed to have been members of the association when it was established. The Ghana Society of the Deaf (GSD), was located in Accra. It was made up of mostly middle-aged deaf people who were being taught by Foster in his private school for the deaf. They were deaf individuals who thought they (the deaf) have rights as humans and have to be treated as such after being exposed to American deaf culture through Foster’s teachings.

The GSD did not function well and suffered challenges because deaf people did not have literate leadership. The majority of deaf leaders at that time were illiterate and could not keep documentation of their activities. According to Amuah (personal communication, November 2018), in around 1965, the leaders of the GSD attempted to mobilize the members by visiting individual homes and even the Mampong Secondary Technical School for the Deaf to educate the students about the association. However, this did not work.

In 1968, Ocloo, Dadzie, and Boateng returned to Ghana from the United States and paid a visit to the deaf community in Accra. During their visit, they discovered that, the deaf people were marginalized, discriminated against, and were not accorded the rights and privileges they deserved. They also noted that, the deaf community lacked leaders who served as transporters of their problems to the people in authority and the society within which they lived. (E. Sackey, personal communication, November 2018).

This group was led by Ocloo. The movement of Deaf finest heroes according to Mr. Emmanuel Sackey (President of GNAD at the time of writing this chapter) was the beginning of the birth of the Ghana National Association of the Deaf, and consequently, the name “Ghana Society of the Deaf” was changed. Nevertheless, according to Ocloo some members did not like the abolishment of the GSD. Ocloo who is still alive (at the time of writing this chapter) was unable to respond to questions during a visit in November 2018 due to his advanced age and health problems.

Ghana National Association of the Deaf

The Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD), which is the umbrella organization of association of Deaf people in Ghana, was established in 1968. As we have already stated, GNAD’s existence is as a result of some Deaf scholars (Ocloo, Dadzie, and Boateng), who felt there was the need to mobilize the deaf people and establish an avenue where deaf people can have their voices heard. However, after the establishment in 1968, the association suffered leadership challenges. Ocloo dissolved the Interim Management Committee (IMC) and was subsequently voted the first president in the same year. See Table.1 for list of the presidents of GNAD from 1968 to date.

Table 1

List of GNAD president from 1968 to date

In 1996, the General Assembly (GA), the highest body of the association (according to the constitution) finally dissolved the Ghana society of the Deaf and attempted replacing it with the Association of Parents of Deaf Children (APDC). This did not work as many of the parents did not show interest (E. Sackey, personal communication, 2018).

GNAD’s vision is “to achieve an active and productive deaf community with access to education and information, and steady economic activities that can sustain and maintain quality and security of life” (GNAD, 2019, para 2). Its mission is to mobilize members, remove communication barriers, create awareness on deaf issues, and advocate for equal opportunities for Deaf People. In 1973, GNAD was recognized as a voluntary association and accredited by the Ministry of Manpower, Youth, and Employment. GNAD was granted a permit to operate as a non-governmental and non-profit organization by the Department of Social Welfare and the Registrar of Companies, Ghana (GNAD, 2019). GNAD is a member of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) and Ghana Federation of Disability Organizations (GFD). (See figure. 1 for organogram of GNAD/ GNAD-YS.)

Membership

In Article 13, under Membership and Dues, the constitution of GNAD declared that membership of the association shall be open to all deaf people in Ghana who have attained the age of 18 years. It also stated that a person who desires to join the Association shall submit an application for registration supported by an existing member who shall serve as a sponsor. This had been the case since the establishment of the constitution in 1996. A new applicant pays a registration fee. Of the estimated 110,625 deaf people in Ghana, GNAD has mobilized approximately 11,000 members (about 60% of whom are male and 40% female).

GNAD Wings

GNAD has there (3) wings. These are the Women Wing (WW), the Youth Wing (YW), and the Sport Wing (SW). These wings were developed as a result of certain needs and challenges registered by members during the GA in 1996. For instance, during the 1996 GA, there was a proposal on health training issues for all associate leaders. However, the leaders selected were all males although the issues on the proposed health related training focused mainly on women’s health issues. This did not go down well with the female participants who felt their rights were being relegated by the males. Thus, the WW was formed.

Women Wing

As we have already stated, the disruptions in GNAD’s GA in 1996 over the selection of males for a proposal meant for women related issues was what led to the establishment of the Women Wing Association of the Deaf in Ghana. However, the question arose, “what influenced these women at the GA to suddenly rise against the decision to select males for the said proposed project?” Akaba revealed that, during his time of reign as the regional president for the Greater Accra Regional Association of the Deaf, he had been encouraged by the president, Francis Boison, in around 1994, to form a women wing movement. Akaba and Amenumey started to encourage the women in Greater Accra to initiate the women’s wing movement. During the GNAD 1996 GA held in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, many of the leaders of the women wing movement in Accra were present including President Boison’s wife, Mrs. Grace Boison. These women constituted the group who argued against the selection of males for the proposed project. Consequently, the women’s wing association was established that year during the 1996 GA. See Table. 2 for a list of GNAD-WW presidents from 1996 to date.

Table 2

List of GNAD-WW president from 1968 to date

WW is the association under GNAD which sees to the affairs of Deaf women and girls. As a wing of GNAD, WW association does not have its own constitution. There has been no documented achievement of the Women Wing association. However, people like Madam Patricia Baffour and Mrs. Grace Boison (both of whom were ex-presidents) claimed (personal communication, November 2018) that WW had organized a number of local workshops and training for its members both in the districts and national levels. They also revealed that WW had obtained project funding from international and local organizations like the African Women Development Fund, and DANIDA, which had led to the training of some members in hair dressing, tailoring, soap making, bead making, and other vocational trainings. In addition, equipment and tools were given to the members who participated in those trainings. Baffour and Boison also further indicated that their organization had been able to see that some of their members were able to participate in international events such as Miss Deaf World. A notable participant of this event, who was also the first Deaf woman from Ghana to represent the Deaf women in such an international event (Miss Deaf World – Australia 2007), was Mabel Adjei Mintaah.

Women Wing is particularly challenged with finding capable leaders. Sackey (personal communication, 2018) lamented that the problem with finding suitable women leaders for the Women Wing is one of the challenges of GNAD. He explained that, many of the women have low educational backgrounds and lack leadership skills. They have low self-esteem and cannot identify their associated personality traits or self-awareness. He further indicated that, those who have had education up to tertiary level in recent times are also unwilling to be part of the women’s association. Another challenge is meeting attendance. Members do not respond to local meetings. However, they will come in high numbers where there is an event that pays for transportations and refreshments. Another challenge of the WW is funding to undertake projects and internal activities of the association leaders. Due to low patronage of meeting by members, the association is unable to obtain revenues from membership dues. It is also difficult winning proposals for their projects.

Youth Section

The Ghana National Association of the Deaf –Youth Section (GNAD-YS) is a wing of Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD). It was founded in 2009 through a pilot project between Deaf youth in Denmark and Deaf youth in Ghana. The idea of the partnership came from the GNAD/Danish Deaf Association (DDL) partnership. GNAD and DDL had developed projects together for more than 16 years. The cooperation has developed from a small bilateral project to a multilateral cross-disability project funded by DANIDA. Through DDL, a connection was created with Danske Døves Ungdomsforbund-DDU (Danish Deaf Youth Association). This led to a pilot project in 2009 and subsequently resulted in the establishment of GNAD-YW. However, there was little contact between DDU and GNAD-YW after the pilot project, which unfortunately did not lead into a partnership project due to lack of resources within DDU. The youth association, however, managed to survive. In 2014, GNAD in collaboration with Danske Døves Ungdomsforbund-DDU (Danish Deaf Youth Association) sent one male and one female deaf youth to Denmark for an international leadership and project management course for Deaf youth. As a result of their studies and experience, a preparatory and another pilot project between DDU and GNAD-YS took place between 2015 and 2017.

GNAD-YS and GNAD share the same vision and mission. In brief, the vision of GNAD-YS is to work for an active and productive Deaf community that has access to education and information, as well as steady economic activities that will sustain and maintain quality and a secure life. The mission is to mobilize members, remove communication barriers, create awareness on issues pertaining to Deaf people, and to advocate for equal opportunities for Deaf youth. The GNAD-YS has five (5) board members. See Table. 3 for a list of GNAD-YS presidents from 2009 to date.

Table 3

List of GNAD-YS president from 2009 to date

The youth activities are monitored and supervised by the GNAD staff. GNAD-YS does not have a specific organization policy, although, it has its own constitutions. See also Figure 1 for organogram of GNAD/GNAD-YS and their details.

Figure 1

Organogram of GNAD/ GNAD-YS

 Details of the GNAD-YS organogram extracted from the GNAD constitution (2017)

Level 1:

GNAD structure: This is part structure of Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD) where youth section (in green) is indicated under “wing”. The Youth Section (YS) is part of the executive board of GNAD (the YS president as representative).

LEVEL 2: This is the structure of the GNAD-YS.

GNAD-YS GA: The General Assembly (GA) is the highest authority of the association. It makes decisions and has the power to influence, change and amend process of administration and constitution. Delegates to the GA shall consist of 4 members (2 males and 2 females) each region and 5 national executives where election of the national executive is to be conducted. However, where projects and or financial needs affect the number of participants, the board reserves the right to communicate their decisions in such cases.

The Board: the GNAD-YS board is the second highest decision-making body and which sees to the administration of the association. The board is composed of 5 national executives. A representative from the NEM for specific meeting may be needed where necessary.

The Staff: GNAD-YS does not have staff of its own since the association is a wing. The board therefore collaborates its administration with the GNAD staff.

Level 3:

The National Executives Members (NEM): the NEM is the third powerful decision-making body which can influence the regional and club executives as well as present and communicates issues and findings to the board. It shall be made up of presidents from each youth club and regional associations.

The Club Executives: The Club is either be school clubs or individual groups other than the district associations. They shall elect their executives who shall see to their administration and represent them at NEM meetings. The Club executives may collaborate with their regions for regional executives meeting.

The Reginal Executives: it is made up of 2 district leaders (the president and secretary from each district). They shall elect their regional leaders (5 executives) which will see to the administration of the regional youth associations. The president of the regional executives shall participate in NEM meetings.

Level 4:

Districts Executives: this is made up 5 elected leaders to administrate the association at the grass root level. They shall delegate 2 executives (preferably the chairman and secretary) for regional meetings.

Individuals: they are the individual members of the youth section at the grass root. Individuals at this level may decide to be a club member or district member.

Between 2015 and 2019, GNAD-YS had been able to obtain two fully funded pilot projects with two different organizations; Danske Døves Ungdomsforbund-DDU, Denmark and Mill Neck International – MNI, United States of America. GNAD-YS has provided a number of leaderships, human right based, advocacy trainings, sign language, membership mobilization capacity building UNCRPD training and timely interventions including youth educations and material provisions to support deaf schools; at districts, regional and national level. There are over three thousand (3,000) youth members across the regions of Ghana. GNAD-YS has four project sites; Wa in Upper West Region, Bechemi in Bono Region, Mampong-Akuapem in Eastern Region (funded by DDU) and recently Cape Coast in Central Region (funded by MNI). The recent pilot project at Cape Coast entitled “Promoting the Participation in Decision-making of the Deaf Youth through Leadership Training in Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana” was to create awareness of the rights of Deaf youth and equip them with leadership and advocacy skills to increase their participation in decisions on issues that bother on their welfare in the Cape Coast municipality. GNAD-YS has also collaborated with local organizations, such as Fusena Aids (FUSAID)-Ghana, Peace Corp-Ghana, Youth Employment Agency, and others to organize local events for its members.

The youth section has been very active in recent times. However, there is the issue with Deaf young women in leadership. Despite many trainings and workshop, it is difficult to get Deaf females onto boards at both district and national levels. This sometimes affects proposals and project applications as most funding organizations require at least 2 females on the National Board of the youth association. Also, lack of funding to run the youth association is a big challenge. Most of the project funds are strictly for the project activities outlined in the project applications. This means funds cannot be used for any other propose. There are, therefore, lots of activities in which the youth association could not undertake education and advocacy for youth in Ghana

Achievements of GNAD

Over the years, GNAD had focused on two main areas. These are enhancing social participation and economic empowerment.

Enhanced Social Participation

GNAD provides family welfare projects to educate members of the Ghanaian Deaf community on important issues such as reproductive health, family planning and responsible parenthood, gender-based violence, and HIV/AIDS. GNAD also offers sports development projects in regional and district branches of the association to help develop and enhance the physical and social well-being of Deaf Ghanaians, as well as encourage their participation in sporting activities in Ghana and abroad.

Economic Empowerment

This program aims to create a source of livelihood for unemployed members of the Association by implementing income generating projects on a per region basis. In the Central Region, thes projects include bead-making, batik and tie-and-dye production. In the Bono Region, soap-making, in the Eastern Region gari-processing, and in Ashanti and Volta Regions, farm projects. GNAD has also managed several smaller projects funded by various donors. See Figure 2 for lists of some of the funding donors for smaller projects.

Other achievements

GNAD has been able to mobilize around 11,000 members in the 16 regions of Ghana. As an advocate for the Ghanaian Deaf Community, GNAD is also interested in the welfare of the Schools for the Deaf in Ghana. GNAD also teaches signed language to individuals and organizations to ease the communication difficulties between members of the Deaf Community and the hearing public. GNAD continually lobbies and advocates for the rights of the Deaf in Ghana. In recent time, among other activities, GNAD has been able to lobby Parliament for the employment of Sign Language Interpreters (SLI) in the Parliament House of Ghana. There have also been official meetings with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority over how best to develop policy to enable deaf people to acquire driving licenses and use the road safely. There is also a 3-year project initiative to institute a Ghanaian Sign Language Interpretation (Diploma) course at the University of Cape Coast to enable SLIs to upgrade their skills. A Ghanaian Sign Language dictionary is completed and in publication. 

Figure 2

Funding donors for smaller projects

Challenges

In spite of GNAD obtaining grants and managing some pilot projects, the organization still faces financial challenges. GNAD is unable to generate its own income and rather depends on donors for its day to day operations mainly because grassroots support is significantly low. The lack of a steady stream of revenue for GNAD has led to her inability to carry out certain advocacy works such as legislation on signed language, legal representatives and advocates at the national level, and visibility with other Disabled People Organization (DPOs), which is also due to lack of rapport with these DPOs and state institutions.

Another challenge for GNAD is the issue of recognition of Ghanaian Sign Language as a national language for the Deaf. Should this be successful, GNAD believes possibilities would be limitless for the Deaf in Ghana. For instance, the proposal of policies and regulation on the use of Ghanaian Sign Language (GhSL) could be achieved much faster; there could also be regulations on GhSL for parents and teachers of the deaf, as well as private institutions who wish to initiate interpreting programs. “I seriously believe that after the interpreting program at UCC or any recognized institution, GNAD together with the Association could organize an accreditation test for prospective interpreters because the school alone cannot give that accreditation. This can also allow any person to take the test without going to the university” (Clement Sam, SLI for Parliament house-Ghana, personal communication, 2019).

A poor attitude of Ghanaians towards disability rights and advocacy is another major challenge to GNAD and Deaf people, in general. In Ghana, despite the existence of the Disability Law, Act 715 (2006), D/deaf and hard of hearing individuals face challenges in workplaces, businesses, and social environments (Grischow, 2015; Fobi & Oppong, 2018). They face many challenges in their attempts to patronize public and social services as well as engage in economic and income generating activities. Some of this can be attributed to inadequate or non-existent signed language interpretation services. For instance, there are no policies in place for the recruitment, training and placement of signed language interpreters in public institutions in Ghana (Fobi & Oppong, 2018; Oppong & Fobi, 2019). While public institutions mainly face the challenge of inadequate funds to improve or ensure availability of signed language and interpretation services, GNAD members also face difficulty in finding qualified interpreters due to the presences of unqualified and inexperienced ones, as well as the cost involved in engaging the few available qualified interpreters. GNAD and Deaf people also suffer challenges in benefiting from business opportunities. It is assumed by many that D/deaf people are unable to write and or express themselves proficiently in English. Therefore, those who wish to engage and expend their business are either rejected or a very limited number are provided services. GNAD research revealed that, unlike the illiterate deaf people, the deaf people who are able to write and prove they can engage with institutions to support their business are given support. GNAD believes the availability of signed language services will enable deaf persons to take full advantage of the existing business opportunities. GNAD calls for policies to promote the training and placement of signed language interpreters in both governmental and non-governmental organizations, teaching of signed language in schools and the creation of a database for signed language interpreters for easy access.

References

Fobi, D. & Oppong, A. M. (2018). Communication approaches for educating deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children in Ghana: historical and contemporary issues. Deafness & Education International, DOI: 10.1080/14643154.2018.1481594

Grischow, J. D. (2015). ‘I nearly lost my work’: chance encounters, legal empowerment and the struggle for disability rights in Ghana. Disability & Society, 30(1), 101-113.

Oppong, A. M. & Fobi, D. (2019). Deaf Education in Ghana. In Knoors, H., Brons, M. & Marschark, M. Deaf Education beyond the Western World – Context, Challenges and Prospects for Agenda 2030. Pp 53-72. New York: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/oso/9780190880514.003.0004

Republic of Ghana (2006), Persons with Disability Law (ACT 715). Accra: Republic of Ghana.