Being the spouse of a Person Living With Disability (PLWD) has been tough and frustrating, a wife of a blind man has disclosed.

Ms Aku Dza (not her real name) a resident of Ashaiman said more of­ten than not, it was not the disabil­ity of the spouse which was emo­tionally depleting but the negative comments from family and friends.

She made the statement on Satur­day in an interview with The Specta­tor on life of a spouse of a disabled person.

She has been married to the husband who is disabled seven years ago.

Ms Dza said her marriage had experienced its own ups and downs like many marriages but the tough­est aspect has been when one feels his or her concern must be given priority.

Ms Dza said she was a petty trader who moved from one community to the other and house-to-house to sell her goods before she got married.

She said, however, after her second and third child, she was overwhelmed with catering for the children and her husband in addition to walking long distances.

She said as the ‘eyes’ of her hus­band, she had to assist him with his movements especially if it involves going out.

She said she was aware that her decision to settle with a person with disability was not going to be a walk in the park and so she had been reluctant to complain to anyone.

The-39-year old mother of three, however said a number of people who observed their struggles were always quick to give their unsolic­ited opinion about how they should live their lives.

She said she was on countless times advised to abandon the man and move on with her life to free herself of that burden.

Ms Dza said no one deserved to be treated in a bad way because they had a disability which happened through no fault of theirs.

She said although the marriage had been challenging, she had been motivated to stay with her husband because he was a good companion who also appreciated all her efforts towards the growth of the family.

She said although both of them were not currently working and compelled to fall on the benevo­lence of people for survival, she was hopeful that she would be able to raise some money so that she could start a business.

She said, she was unhappy that over the years, the society had not found it necessary to put measures in place to offer some sort of emo­tional supportto the spouses or parents of PLWDs.

This kind of support system, she said needed not to be financial but psychological and emotional support to ease the burden on them.

She said spouses needsome form of training or counselling about how to live with (PLWD) and handle their disabilities such that it did not take a toll on them.

She urged religious or tradition­al groups, the government and all public spirited persons to make it a habit to always support the needy.

 From Dzifa Tetteh Tay, Ashaiman