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This paper investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on deaf adults, children, and their families in Ghana, focusing on issues of inclusion. We ask what it takes to �make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable� (United Nations Strategic Development Goal 11) for deaf people in the context of the global pandemic in a low-resource context. The exceptional challenge to inclusion posed by COVID-19 is examined in terms of issues for deaf children and their families, and from the point of view of deaf adults in advocacy and support organisations. The pivotal language and communication issues are shown through a bioecological analysis that illuminates the interdependent dynamics of development and context, and their influence on access to, and understanding of, crucial information. It is argued that the global crisis of COVID-19 exposes and deepens issues of societal exclusion for deaf adults, children, and their families, and provokes wider questions about what inclusion means and how it can be realised, in different cultural contexts.

Background A growing global concern is that suicide research has paid little attention to young people with disabilities, particularly, in low- and middle-income countries (LAMICs). We aimed to estimate the 12-month prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempt and describe some associations among deaf adolescents in Ghana. Methods This is a cross-sectional anonymous self-report survey involving a nationally representative random sample of 450 school-going deaf adolescents. Data analysis included bivariate and multivariable approaches. Results The overall 12-month prevalence of suicidal ideation was 19·3% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 15·8–23·3) and suicidal attempt was 15·6% (95% CI = 12·3–19·2). Although alcohol use and parental divorce were strongly associated with increased odds of both suicidal ideation and attempt, high subjective mental well-being was associated with reduced odds of both suicidal ideation and attempt. Living with no parents and being a final year student were associated with suicidal ideation, while male gender was associated with suicidal attempt. Conclusions The prevalence of suicidal behaviours among school-going deaf adolescents in this study compares with estimates among in-school non-deaf adolescents in Ghana and other LAMICs in Africa, and also highlights the need for prevention efforts against the onset of suicidal ideation and possible transition to attempt and suicide among deaf adolescents.

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