Office of Students with Special Needs (OSSN) Receives Donation from Star Life Assurance

Executive Director of Star Life Assurance, Mrs. Kakra Duffuor-Nyarko, officially handing over the key of the bus to Professor Kwame Offei, the Pro-Vice Chancellor

The Office of Students with Special Needs (OSSN) took delivery of a 16-seater commuter minibus donated by Star Life to ease the mobility of students with special needs, thereby saving their time and advancing their opportunity for studies. At the ceremony to receive the bus, the coordinator of OSSN, Dr. Awo Mana Asiedu, informed the audience that OSSN was set up in 2005 to provide support to students with various forms of disabilities. She added that OSSN caters for the following four categories of students, in collaboration with other units of the university: the visually impaired, the hearing impaired, the physically challenged, and students with medical and emotional difficulties. According to Dr. Asiedu, the services provided by OSSN include IT training support, braille services, alternative examination conditions, orientation and mobility training for visually impaired, lecture note-taking, and sign language interpretation.

The Coordinator of OSSN, Dr. Awo Asiedu

In his address, the Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic and Students Affairs), Professor Kwame Offei, expressed excitement and gratitude to Star Life Assurance for the significant contribution towards meeting the challenge of mobility of the students with special needs. He reiterated the University’s commitment to the creation of an environment which provides opportunities for full participation of students with special needs in the life of the university.  He projected that OSSN would expand by engaging in advocacy for people with special needs in the country.

The Executive Director of Star Life, Mrs. Kakra Duffuor-Nyarko, thanked the university for giving Star Life the opportunity to demonstrate sensitivity to its corporate responsibility.  She revealed that the vehicle had one year insurance made possible by one of their stakeholders, Star Assurance.

On behalf of his colleagues, Mr Emmanuel Gerald Arhin, a level 300 student reading Political Science, expressed gratitude to Star Life and the University for ensuring the welfare of students with special needs.  He challenged the University to continue to invest in them as they were also committed to studying hard to the best of their ability.  He mentioned that at the last Congregation of the College of Humanities, Mr. Abdul-Kudus Bukari, a visually impaired student, was adjudged the best graduating student, adding that this was a motivation for them to also do their best.  

The ceremony was attended by a number of students with special needs, University officials and employees from the Star Life. 

Star Life also distributed a number of corporate give aways and note books to the students.

Student representative Mr. Emmanuel Gerald Arhin expressing gratitude on behalf of his colleagues, while Mrs. Stella A. Amoa, Director of Public Affairs, University of Ghana and Mrs. Kakra Duffuor-Nyarko, Executive Director of Star Life, look on.