Sixty Years of Deaf Education in Ghana (1957-2017)

Background: This article provides an overview of deaf education efforts in Ghana over the past 60 years (1957–2018). It describes the field’s pioneering history from a global perspective to the local content (in Ghana) after national independence in 1957 led by the efforts of Dr Andrew Foster between the 1950s and the 1960s. It also provides an overview of the significant issues that negatively impact deaf education in Ghana, such as political turnover, limited political will, funding issues, and limited research and awareness of the needs of deaf children within the broader population of deaf students. Methodology: This article uses published articles, books, reports, and the author’s personal experiences and knowledge of deaf education to document the deaf education issues in Ghana. The articles, books, and reports that formed the core of this write-up were selected from published books, journals, and peer-reviewed articles authored between 1970 and 2018. Results: The review provides important literature on the deaf education efforts in Ghana. It also documents facts and information about the deaf education system in Ghana that can be used by students, academicians, practitioners, and researchers in Ghana and the diaspora. Conclusion: Good governance, relevant education policies, and a continuation in national policy that needs to exist despite changes in political administrations are important to help to improve the deaf education system in Ghana.