Civil society organisations and disability-inclusive employment: perspectives from leaders of organisations of persons with disabilities in Ghana

This article examines how Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) promote disability-inclusive employment for university graduates with disabilities and the factors that enable and constrain their efforts. Drawing on the social model of disability and interviews with 10 OPDs in Accra, Ghana, we find that they promote the interests of university graduates with disabilities through awareness campaigns, monitoring employment policies to ensure compliance, and capacity strengthening to prepare graduates with disabilities for the labour market. The ability of graduates with disabilities to excel in the workplace and policy incentives, including tax rebates, enable disability-inclusive employment. However, the lack of access to information on employment opportunities creates inequalities between graduates in urban and rural areas, compelling some to rely on their personal connections. This article contributes to the literature on disability and employment by showing how OPDs in the African context promote the interests of university graduates with disability.