“We are not getting jobs”: Job seeking Problems of People with Disability and Coping Strategies adopted in an Urban Traditional Community in Ghana

Acheampong Enoch , Anthony Kwaku Edusei , Okyere Paul , Akohene Kofi Mensah , Rose Odotei Adjei , Emmanuel Appiah-Brempong
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5463/dcid.v27i1.499
Submitted: 2020-09-14 11:04:26
Published: 2016-06-07

Purpose: The study aimed to examine how misconceptions affect the ability of people with disability to find and maintain jobs, and the coping strategies they adopt to manage their economic conditions.

Methods: A qualitative study was conducted with special focus on the Kumasi Metro.  Purposive sampling enabled the researchers to select participants on the basis of their own set of inclusion criteria. Data was collected through Focus group discussions and interviews that were conducted in the local language, Twi. The raw data was transcribed from Twi to English, using the notes taken during the discussions and comparing it with information recorded on tapes and audio recorders. Corrected and transcribed data was grouped under the various themes of the discussions. Data was analysed through the question-led approach. The most identified themes have been presented as the major findings with related headings. Some responses have been quoted to support the findings.

Results: People with disability who participated in the study experienced unemployment, job-seeking problems, the desire to maintain jobs, inability to retain jobs as a result of negative attitudes from co-workers and members of the larger community, and faced difficulty in paying personal bills. To manage their problems, the tendency was to avoid and withdraw from normal societal interaction, and while some begged for alms on the street, others relied on government policies and financial interventions.

Conclusion and Implications: It is recommended that stakeholders should intensify public education on disability. Public education should be custom-made to suit the community’s needs and understanding of the condition, taking into account local culture and belief systems. People with disability should be encouraged to form groups for self-help programmes, especially at the community level. 

Keywords

Employment coping-strategies perceptions people with disability urban Ghana

Authors

Acheampong Enoch

Acheampong Enoch holds Master of Science (MSc) degree in Disability, Rehabilitation and Development from KNUST. He has interest in disability stigma, social construction of disability. He is currently working with the Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation Studies as Assistant Lecturer

Anthony Kwaku Edusei

Anthony Kwaku Edusei Holds PhD in Public Health Nutrition from University of Ghana. He is a senior lecturer at department of community health, KNUST and also he is the Current Head of Department for the department of Community Health

Okyere Paul

Paul Okyere holds Master of Scienc Degree in Health Promotion and Education from Leeds Metropolitan University, UK. He is the Deputy Examination Officer for School of Public Health, KNUST. He is also a lecturer at the Department of Health Promotion and Education, KNUST-Ghana

Akohene Kofi Mensah

Akohene Kofi Mensah holds PhD degree in Health Service Planning and Management from University of Glasgow, UK. He is the CEO of Animwaa Hospital. He is also a lecturer at the Department of Community Health

Rose Odotei Adjei

Rose Odotei Adjei holds Master of Public Health Degree in Health Promotion and Education from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. She is also a Lecturer at the Department of Health Promotion and Education, KNUST-Ghana

Emmanuel Appiah-Brempong

Emmanuel Appiah-Brempong hols Master of Science degree in Health Promotion and Education from Leeds Metropolitan University, UK. He is currently a lecturer at the Department of Health Promotion and Education at KNUST-Ghana

How to Cite

Acheampong Enoch, Anthony Kwaku Edusei, Okyere Paul, Akohene Kofi Mensah, Rose Odotei Adjei, Emmanuel Appiah-Brempong (2016-06-07). “We are not getting jobs”: Job seeking Problems of People with Disability and Coping Strategies adopted in an Urban Traditional Community in Ghana. Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development, Vol. 27 No. 1 (2016): Spring 2016, 109-125. https://doi.org/10.5463/dcid.v27i1.499

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