SPED-UEW Showcases Student Innovations for Children with Cerebral Palsy
The Department of Special Education (SPED) at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) has hosted an inspiring and impactful exhibition of student-led innovations designed to support children with cerebral palsy and other special educational needs.
The event, held at the SEMSA Grounds at the North Campus of UEW, brought together faculty, students, health professionals, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and community members to celebrate creativity, inclusion, and technological advancement in disability support.
The exhibition featured adaptive paper-based learning tools, customised assistive devices, and other technologies created by final-year students as part of their Community-Based Rehabilitation coursework. The innovations were specially designed for children with cerebral palsy and other neurodevelopmental conditions to promote inclusion and growth through play and education.
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor of UEW, Prof. Esther Yeboah Danso-Wiredu, commended the department for its leadership in special education. “This programme is for our special people. The Department of Special Education is one of a kind at UEW,” she stated, reinforcing the university’s commitment to inclusive education.
Chairing the event, Prof. Michael Subbey, an alumnus of SPED, lauded the students for their “pure and undiluted display of creativity, beauty and style,” as he described the handmade assistive materials on display. He emphasised the role of public exhibitions in education, calling them “a special way of announcing your expertise and what goes on in your field.”
According to Mrs. Florence Mensah, Head of SPED, the initiative aims to turn UEW into a hub for the production of cost-effective, functional assistive devices. “Very soon, we are going to make this an internally generated fund-making project for the department and the university at large,” she announced. She praised the facilitators and students for their tireless efforts in developing simple, low-cost tools that can transform lives.
Mrs. Florence Mensah announced the donation of customised assistive technology devices to selected children and additional items to caregivers. “We are proud to say that we have not only learned but also given back. This is what real education should be,” she said, highlighting the department’s ethos of community engagement.
The chairperson’s closing remarks summed up the spirit of the gathering: “A goal that is justly received will surely come to fruition; what we are seeing today is the fruit of consistent effort.” He urged the students to continue their journey of innovation and advocacy.
The exhibition marks a significant milestone in UEW’s journey to becoming a leading force in special education and inclusive innovation in Ghana and beyond.
