ACCESS TO MOBILITY DEVICES BY ADULTS WITH MOBILITY IMPAIRMENTS IN THE WINNEBA MUNICIPALITY IN THE CENTRAL REGION OF GHANA

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to explore access to mobility devices by adults with mobility impairments in the Winneba Municipality in the Central Region of Ghana. The study adopted Penchansky and Thomas’s Theory of Access and Victor Vroom’s Expectancy Theory as the theoretical frameworks for the study. The research design used was a case study. The population for the study was forty (40) adults with mobility impairments including twenty-five (25) males and fifteen (15) females. The sample size was ten (10) including six (6) males and four (4) females. The purposive and stratified sampling techniques were used to select the sample size. Face-to-face interviews were conducted as a means of eliciting responses from the participants, with the use of semi-structured interview guide. The findings from the study revealed that participants relied on donor support, family members and other charitable organizations as sources to access mobility services. Participants also confirmed that there were several benefits of accessing mobility devices including independent ambulation, daily living activities and social support services. Some of the barriers to accessing mobility services were financial constraints, donor scarcity, unavailability of mobility devices and lack of awareness about finding mobility devices. It is therefore suggested that measures need to be taken to improve access to mobility devices for adults who needs the services.