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Mr Daniel Syme, the Deputy Minister of the Upper East Region has said government would ensure that people with disabilities (PWDs) were given the opportunity to develop their potentials to enable them to participate effectively in the national development processes. To this end, the Deputy Minister said government had instituted interventions under the National Social Protection Strategy and Poverty Reduction to enable PWDs to benefit and develop their potentials. He indicated that the allocation of two per cent of the total revenue of district assemblies� common fund to PWDs in the Municipal and District Assemblies was meant to give them access to education, healthcare assistive devices and training to improve their welfare. Mr Syme was addressing members of the Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled (GSPD) in Bolgatanga on the occasion of their 35th Biennial conference on the theme: �Removing barriers to create an inclusive and accessible society for all�. He reiterated that government had interest in promoting the needs and aspirations of PWDs, hence interventions implemented under the Ghana Livelihood Empowerment against poverty (LEAP) where over 1.5 million dollars had been disbursed to 23,814 PWDs all over the country since 2013. Mr Syme admonished MMDAs to abide by the persons with disability law and also tasked them to enact bye laws that would ensure the inclusion of PWDs. He urged the PWDs not to see their disabilities as challenges, but help to contribute to the development of the country. Mr Joseph Adu-Boampong, the National President of GSPD, noted that PWDs remained the world�s largest minority that faced barriers in all aspects of life including education, employment, healthcare, transportation and political participation. He indicated that if those barriers were removed, PWDs would be empowered to participate fully in societal life with rippling effects on communities and the country at large. Mr Adu-Boampong lamented that unequal treatment and social exclusion of PWDs was a bane in the progress and development of PWDs. He referred to the Disability Act of 2006 (Act 715) and indicated that in spite of provisions of the act, lack of awareness and understanding of accessibility as a crosscutting development issue, remained a challenge for PWDs. According to him, the one week conference which attracted over 1000 members nationwide was to enable members to address exclusion and focus on promoting accessibility and removal of all types of barriers to PWDs in society. He appealed to government to facilitate the implementation and enforcement of the national accessibility standards being developed in conjunction with the Ghana Standards Authority, which would enable land developers and owners to make facilities accessible to PWDs. He also called on government to consider appointing PWDs in the District Assemblies to enable them take part in decisions making at the MMDAs.