Jennifer Mensah-Bonzie who has always believed disability is inability is a Ghanaian who currently lives in Columbus, United Stated of America. For almost two decades, she has worked as project manager for JPMorgan Chase & Co – an American multinational financial services firm headquartered in New York City. She is a humanitarian.
Having contracted Poliomyelitis (Polio) at the age of three, she thought for many years that she could not be a productive member of society, but through advocacy she has been impacting many lives across the world.
Jennifer is the brain behind Vigilo Mobility Foundation – a non-governmental organization which focuses on the welfare of people with disability. Few days ago, she led a team of volunteers to the Orthopedic Training Center in Adoagyiri-Nsawam in the Eastern region of Ghana to donate prosthetics, wheelchairs, crutches, school supplies, food items and an amount of money to children in need. The aim of this foundation is to promote successful mobility in Africa.
Jennifer, who is of Ghanaian descent, first relocated to New York in 1996 before settling in Ohio in 2001. Since 2019 where she established the said foundation, she has impacted many lives. According to her, parents of some of these kids have abandoned them because of their infirmities. She is currently committed to making these kids’ lives better.
The goal of the foundation is to support OTC’s physically challenged students by covering their tuition costs and donating mobility aids while also raising awareness of the issue. She gives talks to student organizations in the United States of America about international issues and disability rights. She also gives inspirational lectures to encourage parents or other caretakers of kids or relatives with special needs.
I feel proud regardless the challenges in my life, I am able to use my experiences to motivate, provide accommodations and accessibility in making live easier for the next generations. My strong belief that we can always find the word ABILITY in the spelling of disability sets me apart.
She stated her firm opinion that, as long as Vigilo keeps up its efforts to provide services and raise awareness, it may have a long-lasting good impact on the lives of those in need. She highlighted that she cares for her elderly mother while running the Vigilo Mobility Foundation, drawing on her experiences as a wife, mother, and worker who faces physical problems.
She persists and thrives in spite of various obstacles. She replied when questioned about her strategy, “I just take each day as it comes, rather than following a specific formula.”
She is known for being a supporter of minority and physically challenged groups, a motivational speaker, and a recruiter who is committed to encouraging mobility achievement.
Despite the difficulties she has encountered, she takes delight in leveraging her life experiences to encourage others, make adjustments easier, and improve accessibility.
The element “ability” is consistently present in the spelling of the word “disABILITY,” which sets people with physical disabilities apart from others, she confirmed and concluded.
