**1. Introduction**

The World Health Organisation estimates that more than a billion people live with some form of disability globally, representing about 15% of the world's population. The majority of PWDs live in developing countries. In Africa, it is estimated that about 10% of the population live with disabilities with the majority living in poorer regions of the continent [1]. In Ghana, getting up-to-date statistics on PWDs is a challenge as a result of the lack of well-coordinated data on the actual number of PWDs living in the country. The 2021 Population and Housing Census General Report estimates that about 2,098,138 (representing 8%) of the country's population of 30,832,019 live with some form of disabilities. It is worth mentioning that this figure represents the population of 5 years and older. This suggests that the actual prevalence rate of disability in the country could be more if data were collected on PWDs below this age. The Census data could also be underreported because PWDs are one of the hard-to-reach populations, exacerbated by prejudices and discrimination against PWDs [2].

The 2012 Human Rights Watch report states that over 5 million people in Ghana live with disabilities, a remarkable difference from the Census data. The estimate of the Human Rights Watch report collaborates with the World Health Organization's projection that disability affects 15–20% of every country's population. Five million Ghanaians with disabilities is a huge number that cannot be ignored in any developmental discourse.

Ghanaians with disabilities continue to encounter challenges, including sociocultural, physical, information and transportation inaccessibility, which impede their inclusion and full-effective participation in mainstream society [3, 4]. These challenges impede socio-economic and political participation as well as the overall well-being of PWDs. For example, there is evidence that the challenges PWDs encounter impact their educational attainment [5], social participation, including sexual reproductive rights and marriage [6, 7], freedom to participate in political and civic life [8, 9], labour market inclusion [10–12] and access to healthcare [13–15]. The COVID-19 pandemic could increase the vulnerabilities of PWDs [16].

But what services exist to address their needs? How relevant and useful are existing services? What challenges do both service providers and service recipients experience? What strategies can social workers adopt to provide sustainable disability-inclusive services? This paper attempts to answer these questions.

### **2. Background to social work practice in Ghana**

Social work practice in Ghana started as a welfare practice during the pre-colonial era. The family system, typically the extended family, was seen as the epitome of providing welfare services for members in need [17]. The era saw a mutual interdependence of family system, where individuals within the family (i.e., grandparents, parents, uncles, aunties, and cousins) assisted in solving individuals, families, and societal problems [17]. Post-colonial developments such as modernization and technology development saw the need for professional social work interventions, necessitating the need for professionally trained social workers in Ghana [18]. Efforts to realize this necessity was met with the establishment of the School of Social Work in 1946 at Osu, Accra, to train social workers in certificate courses and the graduates mostly work with the social welfare departments across the country. Subsequently, the University of Ghana and currently a few other universities offer diplomas, bachelors, master's in social work. It is noteworthy that the University of Ghana is the only institution that offers PhD degree in social work.

#### **2.1 Roles of social workers in areas of disability**

Social workers perform different roles to promote disability rights in Ghana. Social work practitioners in Ghana mostly work with the department of social welfare, providing case management and other services for the vulnerable populations, including persons with disabilities. Others work in institutions such as the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs). Yet others work as special education coordinators and teachers in schools.

Also, social work educators engage in teaching and training more social workers. Over the years, social work education in Ghana has focused on training and equipping students with knowledge and skills to tackle social problems, including disability,

*Perspective Chapter: Disability-Inclusive Sustainable Services – The Role of Social Workers DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.106283*

that require professional interventions [18]. Social work educators work in collaboration with social service providers regarding field practicum. Students do their field practicum with department of social welfare, civil society organizations (CSOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the area of disability. Through these strategies, social work students acquire hands-on experience as well as network with these organisations [19]. Social work researchers also engage in disability research to heighten public awareness of disability issues intended at reducing discrimination and stigmatization against persons with disabilities as well as their needs.

### **3. Methodology**

This paper reviewed existing services and regulations for and regarding persons with disabilities in Ghana. The authors used policy documents and guidelines for service provision as well as literature documenting the regulations and services. The authors also factored in their own experiences working in the field of social work. For example, the lead author, has several years' social work practice experience, working with persons with disabilities and women. The other two authors also have some social work practice experience with persons with disabilities and other vulnerable population such as children and persons with mental illness. The authors' work experiences were brought to bear on the paper.
