Ghana National Association of the Deaf - GNAD

07/08/2026

500 Deaf participants. All 16 regions. One celebration and the partnerships to make it happen.

On 3rd August, GNAD met with Telecel Ghana at the company's Head Office in Accra for a strategic partnership meeting ahead of the 2026 International Week of the Deaf.

The International Week of the Deaf is a global platform for promoting the rights, inclusion and visibility of Deaf persons, and this year's celebration in Ghana is expected to bring together about 500 Deaf participants from every region of the country, alongside government institutions, development partners, civil society and the media.

Telecel Ghana has stood with the Deaf community before, from supporting the 2025 IWD celebration in Greater Accra, to subsidised data for GNAD members and employment opportunities for Deaf persons. At the meeting, the company reaffirmed its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, expressed interest in strengthening the partnership further, and indicated its willingness to consider supporting this year's celebration with two event backdrops, subject to internal approval.

GNAD is grateful to Telecel Ghana for the warm reception and constructive engagement. This is how inclusion is built: one strong partnership at a time.

07/08/2026

A bully-free school and an inclusive school are the same school.

That was the message at the Senior High School for the Deaf, Mampong, where GNAD trained teachers and counsellors on 25th and 26th June on fighting bullying and understanding Deaf culture.

Day one was grounded in three pillars: shared language, shared norms, and shared values. Participants unpacked the difference between capital-D "Deaf" as a cultural identity and lowercase "deaf" as a condition. And they sat with a striking fact: 90% to 97% of Deaf children are born to hearing families, which means school is often where a Deaf child first truly meets their language and community.

Teachers and counsellors also learned respectful communication etiquette, maintaining eye contact and getting attention with a wave or a flicker of lights, never by throwing objects.

When the adults in a school understand Deaf culture, every student is safer for it.

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06/08/2026

https://dailyguidenetwork.com/gnad-trains-women-girls-with-disabilities-on-advocacy-leadership/

Officials of GNAD, UNDP with participants in Tamale   The Ghana National Association of the Deaf, in partnership with the Organisations of Persons with Disabilities in Ghana and with supportRead More...

06/08/2026

The Sign Language Mastery Workshop went on the road this time to Mampong Sec/Tech High School.

GNAD spent an intensive one-day session with the brilliant and energetic Deaf students of Mampong Sec/Tech, with one clear mission: to build a school environment where every Deaf learner feels proud of who they are and is fully equipped to succeed.

Students explored the linguistic foundations of Ghanaian Sign Language, learning that GhSL and other natural sign languages carry a rich, full visual-spatial syntax. Sign language is not a shortcut or a substitute. It is a complete language with its own grammar, and it belongs to the Deaf community.

The most important lesson of the day? Deaf individuals are the best role models and authorities on their own language and culture. Nobody teaches Deaf identity better than the Deaf community itself.

To the students and staff of Mampong Sec/Tech: thank you for your energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to true inclusion. Together, we are breaking barriers.

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05/08/2026

Deaf with a capital "D" means identity. Language. Pride.

On 21st June, Deaf students at Tetteh Ocloo State School for the Deaf gathered for a Sign Language Mastery Class, a session built to deepen their command of Ghanaian Sign Language and their connection to Deaf Culture.

With facilitator Mr Richard Doku, students explored what makes Deaf Culture: a shared language, shared norms like eye contact and sign names, and the shared values that bind Deaf schools, clubs, and families together. They studied how signs work, from iconic signs that look like what they mean to arbitrary signs that carry meaning through convention alone.

The class also connected language to safety. Students learned the signs for words like harassment and bully, so that no student is ever without the words to report what happened to them.

And the students spoke honestly: they want to learn their language from home, and they want their parents educated on Deaf Culture, because vacations should not feel like isolation.

Sign languages are fully developed natural languages, with their own grammar and structure. Deaf individuals have full cognitive abilities. And Deaf people are often the best teachers of their own language and culture.

04/08/2026

In the Deaf community, students turn to their friends first. So we trained the friends.

On 19th and 20th June, selected Deaf students at Tetteh Ocloo State School for the Deaf were trained as peer mentors young leaders equipped to support their colleagues, spot bullying early, and offer comfort and guidance when a friend needs it most.

Led by facilitator Mr. Richard Doku, the two-day mentorship circle covered Deaf Culture, the power of Ghanaian Sign Language as the heart of Deaf identity, and what it truly means to be a mentor: guiding peers, celebrating every achievement, advocating against bullying, and knowing when to seek help from a trusted teacher.

The training was fully inclusive too signs were described verbally for blind students with the support of a sign language interpreter, so no one was left out.

These young mentors left with a commitment: to build a school where every student feels safe, supported, and proud of who they are.

Deafness is not something to be fixed. It is an identity, a language, and a source of pride.

03/08/2026

Every child deserves to learn without fear.

On 17th and 18th June, teachers at Tetteh Ocloo State School for the Deaf were trained as school-level mentors with one mission: building a bully-free environment for their students.

The training went beyond theory. Through real-life cases, teachers explored how bullying quietly destroys confidence, grades, and emotional well-being and what they can do about it. A student mocked into silence. A top learner failing because he was ridiculed for being "too smart." A girl excluded until she stopped showing up at all. These are the stories that made the message clear.

Teacher-mentors now carry three key responsibilities: spot the early warning signs, intervene before things escalate, and build the trust that makes students comfortable enough to speak up.

Special attention was given to the needs of Deaf learners, making sure no child is left out of the circle of protection.

Teachers are more than instructors. They are role models, protectors, and mentors. And when they lead, the whole school follows.

01/08/2026

We are happy to provide update on the coming West Africa Deaf Women Conference Scheduled to take place in Novemner 2026. The Conference is proudly sponsored by Danske Døves Landsforbund under the Program. Please reach out to GNAD if you have any question.

31/07/2026

A two-day Capacity Building Programme on Leadership, Data-Driven Advocacy, the Persons with Disabilities Act, 2006 (Act 715), and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) for women and girls with disabilities in Northern Ghana has successfully ended.

Held under the theme "Empowered Women with Disabilities: Crucial for Sustained Advocacy," the training aimed to strengthen the knowledge and skills of women and girls with disabilities so they can effectively advocate for their rights and promote disability inclusion in their communities.

The intensive two-day programme brought together participants from the Ghana Blind Union (GBU), Ghana Association of Persons with Albinism (GAPA), Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled (GSPD), Mental Health Society of Ghana, Inclusive Family Alliance (IFA), Ghana National Association of the Deaf, among others.

During the training, participants gained practical knowledge on leadership, data-driven advocacy, the Persons with Disabilities Act, 2006 (Act 715), and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). These sessions equipped them with the tools and confidence to advocate more effectively for the rights of women and girls with disabilities.
The training was made possible through the generous support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Ghana.

30/07/2026