Deaf Education in Ghana

Abstract

This chapter describes deaf education in Ghana, including the practices and challenges in public special schools for the deaf, early identification, hearing screening, audiological and educational assessment, and the impact of cultural beliefs and practices on school enrollment. For the past sixty years, Ghana has been striving to promote the development of formal education for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals through improvement in school participation rates and lifelong learning for independent living and sustainable development. The authors provide information on basic education (kindergarten to junior high school), secondary education placement options, medium of instruction, and the curriculum. Tertiary education, support services, legislation, and advocacy for deaf persons are also discussed. The chapter ends with conclusions and suggestions for future research in the promotion of best practices in the education of deaf individuals.

Shaping the early care and education of young deaf children in Ghana

“…Ghana has a developing Ghanaian Sign Language (GhSL) and an active national association of the deaf (GNAD) that campaigns to reduce the social isolation and marginalisation of deaf people (Nyst 2010, Opoku et al, 2020. However, the early support of young deaf children and their caregivers is an unmet need (Oppong & Fobi 2019).…”