The well-known phrase “Disability is not Inability” was highlighted last Friday, when the New Horizon Special School held their Annual Fun Day Games 2025, aimed at discovering talents and enhancing the skills of individuals with special needs.
Located at Cantoment, opposite the Togo Embassy, the school serves 60 students, consisting of both men and women with various special needs.
The annual fun day games are organized each year to help keep the students active, showcase their sports abilities, create joy, and most importantly, promote a strong message of inclusion.
This event, which aims to highlight individuals with intellectual disabilities, brought together students, parents, educators, and the general public to celebrate fitness, creativity, and inclusion.
The theme for the event, titled “Don’t Leave Me Behind,” featured students competing in a range of activities, including sack races, football, musical chairs, tug of peace, dance competitions, rap, and drama performances.
During the event, the Chairperson and Managing Director of Morning Star School, Mrs. Nana Abena Kwakyi , encouraged parents to enroll their children in special schools to help them reach their full potential.
Nana Abena Kwakyi urged parents to recognize that every child is a gift from God and should not be abandoned or harmed after birth.
She emphasized that children with special needs possess unique skills, so parents should seek out special schools for their education.
The Chairperson praised the government, particularly the Ghana Education Service, for establishing a special education unit for these schools but called for increased support to help them thrive.
Nana Abena Kwakyi also appealed to Corporate Ghana to direct some of their Corporate Social Responsibility efforts towards adopting such schools to promote equality and inclusion.
Mrs. Mariam Obeng, the deputy principal of the Vocational Department, stated that the event aims to uncover hidden talents, develop potential skills, and provide a platform for children to showcase their abilities to parents and the public, demonstrating that these children can be assets rather than liabilities.
Mr. Osei Kufour, a parent, encouraged other parents to bring their children with special needs to Horizon Special School, where they can socialize and grow.
He urged them to abandon the belief that such children are cursed, emphasizing that they teach us to be more patient.
At the conclusion of the event, students who excelled in the games received awards to inspire their peers.
This year, the school celebrates its 53rd anniversary and has successfully trained over a thousand special needs children who are now thriving in society.