2025/03/18 by Urbanus Wedaaba Azupogo, Ebenezer Dassah, Elijah Bisung · 1 voice
Social Sciences · Environmental Science · #Educational Environments and Student Outcomes #Children's Rights and Participation #Urban Green Space and Health
paper · doi:10.1016/j.wss.2025.100255
openalex publication_date 2025/03/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/01/19
• The UN Sustainable Development Goals prioritize healthy water and sanitation for everyone. • The study used art-based methodologies to examine how children with physical disabilities navigate the WASH environment in primary schools in Ghana, as well as the perceived health concerns attached to their poor access. • Poor WASH access by persons with physical disabilities can lead to dehydration resulting from low water intake, diarrhea, vulnerability to abuse, and various forms of psychosocial stress. • Integrating WASH interventions in schools can have a positive impact on attendance, reduce absenteeism, improve health, and reduce the learning gap for disadvantaged children. Ensuring universal access to safe water and sanitation remains a central goal of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, persons with physical disabilities continue to encounter numerous barriers—stemming from capacity, environmental, and personal constraints—when accessing these facilities. This study aimed to (i) explore how children with physical disabilities navigated water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) environments in primary schools in Ghana and (ii) investigate their perceived health risks associated with these environments. Children were given prompts to draw and write about their school WASH contexts, followed by interviews to discuss their drawings. A thematic analysis of their narratives and artwork revealed several barriers, including physically inaccessible facilities, poor maintenance, and limited peer support or mobility aids. Commonly reported health implications included dehydration from inadequate water intake, diarrhoea, increased vulnerability to abuse, and psychosocial stress. The findings further showed that the type and severity of disability influenced the extent of these challenges. To advance SDGs 6, 4, and 3, strategies must be implemented to create safe, inclusive school environments that address the diverse needs of all learners.