Dr. Ben Bishop Nyanihorba Ayamba, the first doctorate graduate from UCC to be sight challenged, was among the graduates during the university’s 7th session of the 56th congregation last Friday.
A native of Pusiga in the Upper East Region, Dr. Ben Bishop Nyanihorba Ayamba holds a doctorate in guidance and counseling. The university’s chancellor, Sir Sam Jonah, gave him a $2000 prize. At the end of the session, two disabled people received their doctorates.
Dr. Wisdom Quaiku, the other physically challenged doctor, earned a PhD in development studies.
Dr. Ben Bishop Nyanihorba Ayamba revealed to Graphic Online in a subsequent interview that he suffered a visual impairment in August 1995.
He claimed that as a result, he was forced to attend the Presbyterian Training College in Akropong to complete his regular level braille studies.
Dr. Ben Bishop Nyanihorba Ayamba noted that after receiving rehabilitation at the School of the Blind at Akropong, he attended the UCC to continue his education after graduating from Teachers Training College in 1999.
After that, he was given a two-year teaching assignment at the Junior High School in Ntonso. In 2001, he enrolled at UCC to pursue his first degree, which he finished in 2004 with a degree in psychology and English.
He then claimed that he had been assigned to teach English at Mampong Technical College of Education.
He claimed that he went back to UCC to complete his Master of Philosophy in Guidance and Counseling after a three-year break.
He claimed to have returned to UCC in 2016 to complete his doctorate in guidance and counseling.
Noting the abundance of disability schools in Ghana, Dr. Ben Bishop Nyanihorba Ayamba counseled parents of children with disabilities to prioritize education, saying that his journey had been characterized by prayers and persistence.
He underlined that PWDs should seek guidance and assistance from the social welfare department and groups that support the physically challenged, such as the Ghana Blind Union and other organizations.
