Farida Bedwei is a disability-rights advocate and one of the participants at the recently-concluded International Conference on Disabilities held in Lagos. She talks about rights of persons with disabilities with DGossip247
Tell us about yourself.
I am Farida Nana Bedwei. I hold an Institute for the Management of Information Systems diploma and a diploma in E-Technology. I also have a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom and a project management professional certificate from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration. I am a member of the Ghana Institute of Management.
I am a seasoned software engineer with over 17 years experience in building mobile and enterprise applications with extensive knowledge in architecting and deploying mobile value-added services and banking applications for the microfinance industry.
Where did you start work?
I started work at Soft Company Limited (now known as the Softtribe), as a software developer and later moved to Rancard Solutions Limited. At Rancard Solutions, I worked from 2001 to 2010. I progressed from the position of solutions analyst to senior software architect.
What were your functions at Rancard Solutions?
At Rancard Solutions, I was responsible for the development and maintenance of the mobility platform which connected the mobile networks to the content providers. I have in-depth knowledge about the technical architecture of mobile network messaging gateways and the associated protocols.
In 2010, I moved to G-Life Microfinance where I designed and implemented new products and services and managed the software solutions as well as vendor relationships.
What do you do now?
Since April 2011 to date, I have been the co-founder/chief technology officer of Logiciel Limited, located in Accra, Ghana. It is a technological solutions company with the primary focus of building mobile and financial software for the West African market. My key achievement has been the successful implementation of gKudi, a web-based (clouded) banking software suite for the micro finance industry, designed to be accessible on mobile phones and personal digital assistants as well as on desktop systems used by over 160 micro finance institutions nationwide.
Have you won any award for your prowess in the Information Technology industry?
Some of the awards I won included Legacy and Legacy Maiden Ideas Award in 2011, Government of Ghana’s National Youth Achievers Award and the Special Award, 2012. Besides, in 2013, I won the Most Influential Women in Business and Government in Africa award, from the CEO Magazine, South Africa.
From 2013 to 2015, I was a member of The Girls in ICT Committee inaugurated under the ministry of communication to encourage females to pursue careers in Information Technology. I am a board member of the National Communication Authority. Ghana. I featured on the British Broadcasting Corporation Africa (Radio) as well as DW Radio and many other local programmes. In February 2015, I was on the Cable News Network African Voices
What is your view about the International Conference on Disabilities which you were a participant?
I am happy that people are beginning to be aware that individuals with disabilities have rights. People involved in fields related to disabilities are beginning to see that it is a problem. The problem of persons with disabilities is not only limited to the individuals with disabilities. It is a national problem that should be addressed as such by everybody.
What are the lessons you learnt from the conference?
I think much has been said and talked about. It is important that we focus on the major issues addressed at the conference in order to tackle whatever the challenges are. The challenges confronting people with disabilities differ when one examines the disability of each of them. In Africa, we talk a lot. We also have ideas but it is important to work on the ideas so as to realise something concrete from them.
What informed your speech at the conference to stakeholders and other persons with disabilities?
My presentation was centred on entrepreneurship. I made it clear that we do not want preferential treatment as persons with disabilities but proper empowerment. This shows that we must also do our part by having the necessary competence and qualification. We must also do the job in a way that our disabilities will not hinder the discharge of our duties. It should not be that our challenges will be excuses for not coming to work or getting some tasks done.
What areas do you think the conference should focus on in subsequent editions?
I think the organisers did a good job. There could be some areas that they should have worked on more but overall, I am impressed with the whole process.
Have you in anyway experienced discrimination because of your disability?
I think there are some things we need to know about disabilities. Some people believe that because one does not talk or behave the way some people do, one is intellectually unstable. But that is not the case. We have to continue to educate people about issues related to persons with disabilities. The first experience I had was at a shop. When I entered the place, I went to the counter, asked for what I wanted and paid to the cashier. I was with my driver. I was the one who opened my bag and paid the cashier but when he wanted to give me the change, he gave it to my driver. I told him I was the one who paid him and did not understand why he gave the change to my driver. I made him to realise that if I knew the amount I was told to pay without being stupid, I should know the change I deserved. He apologised to me and anytime I go there, he knows what to do. This kind of attitude is very irritating. We need to educate people because the attitude is often caused by ignorance.
How best can this ignorance be tackled?
It is through awareness. I think the government has a big role to play in this regard. Government at all levels should make it easy for people with disabilities to move around and do what they have to do. There should be a policy that will make it desirable for business owners to employ people with disabilities. The rich can also join in the campaign to make life better for persons with disabilities. Religious bodies should also sensitise their followers to assist people with disabilities, accept them as they are and not look down on them.
In Ghana where you live, what regulations have been put in place to assist persons with disabilities?
The Disability Bill has been passed in Ghana. The legislative instrument which defines how the rights of persons with disabilities should be protected is on paper but implementation has yet to start. The Ghanaian government is trying its best. It appointed Dr. Henry Daanaa who is visually impaired as Minister of Chieftaincy and Traditional Affairs. That is a good step. From the look of things, there is a lot more coming.
Would you agree that your comfortable position has assisted you to cope well with cerebral palsy?
It has but there are other people with disabilities who are more comfortable than I am. Cerebral palsy is a condition of brain damage which affects the motor development of an affected person. It is about the attitude one has regarding one’s disability. There are many persons who are not like me and cope well with their disabilities. It is about attitude and nothing else.
What are the ways people with disabilities should be treated globally?
There are many forms of disabilities; hence there is no collective and appropriate behaviour that should be used when dealing with people with disabilities.
However, regardless of the form of disability anyone has, he or she is still a human being that should be treated with dignity and respect. Anybody who encounters someone with a disability should address him/her directly and from the response, gauge his/her level of intelligence before concluding on how to deal with him/her. One should not assume that because someone is physically challenged, his or her mental capability has also been affected. Those who are mentally-challenged have their strengths and efforts should be made to find out what they are and how they can be assisted to make them independent.
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