Carruthers Tetteh: Visually-impaired lawyer appointed UCC lecturer
Mr. Tetteh in 2022, was among the 844 lawyers who were called to the Bar in November of that year.
Visually-impaired lawyer, Carruthers Tetteh has been appointed a lecturer at the University of Cape Coast Faculty of Law - making it the faculty's first historic appointment of a person with visual impairment.
Mr. Tetteh in 2022, was among the 844 lawyers who were called to the Bar in November of that year.
His appointment took effect in December 2023, and he teaches Criminal Law and the Ghana Legal System.
“On the day he delivered his very first lecture, Mr Tetteh's deep knowledge of Criminal Law won the hearts of his Level 300 students,” the University said in a post about the appointment.
At a very young age, Mr. Tetteh suffered a condition known as Stevens-Johnson syndrome, which caused his blindness about 20 years ago.
"Sometime in 2002 during my Basic Education Level, I suffered from a condition known as Stevens-Johnson syndrome due to a severe adverse reaction to medical treatment. Which resulted in my whole skin peeling off like burns by heat and eventually leading to the loss of my sight.
It was a very distressing period for my whole family. Especially my mum went through emotional difficulties in accepting her first son’s visual impairment," he told Dennislaw News in an interview.
But he says that did not deter him from pursuing a career in law, despite the odds and struggles.
In 2015, he graduated with a Bachelor of Education in Art, with English as his major at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), where he successfully bagged First-Class Honours and was awarded the Overall Best Graduating Student with visual impairment.
Four years later he obtained his Bachelor of Laws Degree from the same University, where he now teaches.
Aside law, Tetteh is an advocate for persons living with disabilities and the underprivileged. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Naa oo Naa Foundation, a non-governmental organisation in Ghana that focuses on developing underprivileged communities in Ghana in areas of Health, Education, and Entrepreneurship including persons living with disabilities.
He is also a member of the board of directors of Hope for Future Generation, an NGO which promotes advocacy of women, children, and Persons living with Disabilities.
Mr. Tetteh also works with the Legal and Case Management Unit of the National Council for Persons Living with Disabilities.
