HR0732 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0732 LRB094 15080 BDD 50317 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Illinois House of Representatives is pleased to acknowledge the outstanding achievements of those individuals who strive to improve not only themselves, but the world around them; and

WHEREAS, Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, from the African country of Ghana, is a man who has excelled both as an athlete and as a champion for the rights of the disabled; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Yeboah had many challenges to overcome in his early life; he was born without a tibia in his right leg, which left his leg useless and withered; and

WHEREAS, In Ghana, at the time, it was a commonly-held belief that a deformity of a child was caused by a sin of the mother; because of his son's deformed leg, Mr. Yeboah's father abandoned his family, and the friends of Mr. Yeboah's mother encouraged her to kill or, at the very least, abandon her disabled son; and

WHEREAS, Comfort Yeboah, Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah's mother, chose, instead, to nurture and encourage her firstborn son; Comfort Yeboah made the radical decision to send her disabled son to primary school instead of sending him to the streets as a beggar; and

WHEREAS, Comfort Yeboah died when her son was 13, and Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah was forced to drop out of school; he moved to Accra, the capital of Ghana, where he shined shoes for $2 a day; and

WHEREAS, Seeking to prove that a disability is not an insurmountable challenge, in September of 2001, Mr. Yeboah, with the support of the Challenged Athletes Foundation, embarked on a bicycle ride across his home country; with the use of only one leg and wearing a shirt that read "The Pozo", which is slang for a disabled person, Mr. Yeboah completed the 379-mile ride across Ghana; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Yeboah's courageous efforts garnered media attention both in Ghana and around the world; Mr. Yeboah has used that media attention to champion the rights of the disabled; and

WHEREAS, In cooperation with King Osagyefuo Amotia Ofori Panin of Akyem Abuadwa and with the Free Wheelchair Mission, Mr. Yeboah has helped provide free wheelchairs to disabled persons around the world; since 2001, the Free Wheelchair Mission has distributed more than 24,000 wheelchairs in 37 developing countries, including Afghanistan, Angola, Egypt, Ghana, Haiti, Iraq, Liberia, Rwanda, and Zambia; and

WHEREAS, In his home country, Mr. Yeboah has started a cycling team, a wheelchair basketball team, and a running team for physically challenged athletes, and he is currently working on starting a sports academy for disabled athletes; and

WHEREAS, The government of Ghana is taking steps to improve the quality of life for its disabled citizens; in September of 2005, the government of Ghana indicated that, during its next session, the Parliament of Ghana would pass a Disability Bill to help remove barriers and obstacles that obscure the developmental efforts of people with disabilities; and

WHEREAS, The efforts of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, King Osagyefuo, the Parliament of Ghana, and countless others have gone a long way toward allowing persons with disabilities to live with purpose and dignity, but, as always, more can be done; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize and applaud the outstanding achievements of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah both as an athlete and as a champion for the rights of the disabled; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the Parliament of Ghana to increase its efforts to protect and improve the lives of its disabled citizens and to pass conscientious legislation to ensure the rights of the disabled; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we applaud King Osagyefuo Amotia Ofori Panin of Akyem Abuadwa for using his name and authority to improve the status of Ghana's many physically disabled persons; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the citizens of Illinois to take part in the continuing efforts around the globe to make it possible for those with physical disabilities to live their lives with purpose, dignity, and value; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, King Osagyefuo Amotia Ofori Panin, and the Parliament of Ghana.