Dr Samuel K. Hayford of the Department of Special Education, University of Education, Winneba said Inclusive Education would improve access to quality education by children with physical disabilities.
He was speaking in Ho on Thursday at the launch of an Inclusive Education programme that seeks to integrate children with physical disabilities into the regular school system to ensure equity.
It was organised by the Special Education Division, Ghana Education Service (GES) in Ho and sponsored by EQUAL-Special Education Needs (SEN) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It was under the theme "Inclusive Education, Education for All; Prospects and Challenges".
Dr Hayford said in its most basic form, mainstreaming was the promotion of the physical co-existence of pupils with and without disabilities in the same place.
He said lack of legislative framework and policy guidelines, funds to finance the adaptation to existing facilities and entrenched beliefs and attitudes were among challenges facing Inclusive Education in the country.
He said in spite of these seemingly insurmountable challenges, inclusive education was cost effective and must be adopted because "the rights of people cannot be sacrificed for any other reason".
Ms Rosemund A. Keteku, Ho Municipal Director of Education said it was a taboo in the past to suggest that people living with disabilities should be considered as useful citizens in nation building.
She said with the passage of the Disability Law of 2006 and the timely intervention of USAID and EQUAL-Special Education Needs (SEN) Project in schools there appeared to be "light at the end of the tunnel for children and persons living with disabilities".
Ms Keteku said about 800 teachers were trained by a team of Special Education Experts from the Institute of Woodlands Academy in the USA for the Inclusive Education programme.
Mrs Victoria Donkor, Director of the Special Education Division of GES said a number of strategies had been adopted towards implementing the Inclusive Education programme.
These include training of all teachers in special education needs, redesigning school infrastructure to facilitate the accommodation of pupils and students, sensitization workshops for parents and children with special needs and the establishment of district education assessment centres.
Mr Mawutor Goh, Ho Municipal Chief Executive, in an address read on his behalf, appealed to the public to desist from stigmatizing people living with disabilities as they could also contribute to the country's development if given the proper training.