Radia Nuhu has never walked easily, spoken effortlessly, or held a pen without struggle. Yet, she has spent her life rewriting the limits society placed on her. Living with cerebral palsy, Radia has transformed personal hardship into a powerful advocacy for persons with disabilities in Ghana.
Today, she is a final-year Diploma in Education student at the University for Development Studies (UDS) and the founder of an emerging disability-focused organization in the Northern Region. Her mission is clear: to ensure that no person with a disability goes through the pain, stigma, and neglect she once endured.
Speaking in an interview, Radia expressed gratitude to God for how far she has come, describing her educational journey as anything but easy.
“Education is never easy for persons with disabilities,” she said.
She recounted facing stigmatization from friends and community members, as well as physical challenges with writing. Because of her condition, she could not write with a pen and had to rely on a laptop as an assistive device, even during her Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
Radia explained that acquiring the laptop was a major struggle. She attempted to raise funds through small personal contributions, sometimes as little as 50 pesewas, until a philanthropist eventually came to her aid by donating a laptop for her education. That act, she said, changed her life and ignited her passion for advocacy.
“Without a laptop, I cannot write,” she emphasized.
During the interview, Radia also took time to define cerebral palsy, explaining it as a neurological condition that affects movement, posture, and coordination, and not intelligence—an important clarification she says many people misunderstand.
From Tamale SHS to University
Radia’s academic journey took her from Tamale Senior High School (TAMASCO) to UDS. Initially a day student at TAMASCO, she later chose to become a boarding student. Though some of her schoolmates were initially afraid of her because of her condition, she said the experience turned out to be positive.
“I was treated like a princess,” she recalled with a smile.
At the University for Development Studies, Radia benefited from extra time during examinations, an accommodation meant to support students with disabilities. However, she noted with concern that in her final year, this support was withdrawn and she is now treated like every other student.
She used the opportunity to speak about the Persons with Disability Act, stressing that while policies exist, implementation remains weak, especially within the education sector.
Advocacy, Stigma, and Social Change
Radia expressed deep concern about persistent discrimination against persons with disabilities. She revealed that some parents withdraw their children from schools simply because a child with a disability is enrolled in the same classroom.
She also shared painful personal experiences of public discrimination, including an incident where a tricycle (Mahama Can Do) operator spat on her and told her that had he known she was disabled, he would not have picked her.
“Transport operators must be careful how they treat persons with disabilities,” she appealed.
Despite these challenges, Radia acknowledged progress. She noted that advocacy has helped reduce extreme abuses, recalling how, in the past, children born with disabilities were sometimes killed.
She narrated a heartbreaking story of a man who divorced his wife simply because she gave birth to a child with cerebral palsy, highlighting the urgent need for continued public education.
A Father’s Pride and a Presidential Moment
One of Radia’s proudest moments came when she delivered a speech that earned her a standing ovation from the President of Ghana, who praised her confidence and resilience.
She said that moment changed how her father viewed her.
“My father is very proud of me now,” she said emotionally.
Looking Ahead
Through her organization, Radia has personally enrolled children with disabilities into school, often bearing the financial burden herself. She has also donated items to other persons with disabilities, driven by her belief that “there is ability in every disability.”
She is now calling on the government to do more to promote inclusive education, particularly in public schools. She proposes that schools employ support assistants to help learners with disabilities during lessons and examinations.
Radia also dreams of establishing a mentorship and training space where young persons with disabilities can be nurtured and prepared before entering mainstream schools.
“Persons with disabilities need more attention, not sympathy,” she stressed.
Radia Nuhu’s story is not just one of survival, but of courage, purpose, and hope. In refusing to be defined by her disability, she is redefining what inclusion truly means—and inspiring the next generation to go even further than she has.
Source:Fiilafmonline/Walkiyatu Issahaku
