The Right to Universal Access and Design: Break Barriers,
Open Doors to realise an Inclusive Society for All – Action through Partnership
South Africa commemorates National Disability Awareness
Month annually between 3 November and 3 December. 3 December is the International Day of Persons
with Disabilities, and is also commemorated as National Disability Rights
Awareness Day.
Disability is
the consequence of an impairment that may be physical, cognitive, mental,
sensory, emotional, developmental, or some combination of these. A disability
may be present from birth, or occur during a person's lifetime.
The Disability Awareness Month offers an opportunity for all
of us to remove these barriers and to improve the quality of life of people
with disabilities through concrete action.
The Department of Women, Children
and People with Disabilities is responsible for driving the
government’s equity, equality and empowerment agenda in terms of those living
with disabilities.
Let’s break barriers
to employment for people with disabilities
According to the Commission for Employment Equity 2012/13
Annual Report, people with disabilities only accounted for 1,4% of our total
workforce in 2012.
Under the 2003 Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act,
disabled black people should make up 2% of an organisation's total workforce in
its first five years of existence and 3% for companies that are six to 10 years
in existence.
Government has been putting measures in place to reach 2% of
people with disabilities in the public service by 2015.
Government calls on civil society, labour and business to
fully implement disability related policies and legislation for a just society.
Let’s open the doors
of education to learners with disabilities
Substantial funds have been spent on the strengthening of
295 special schools to ensure that they can become centres of excellence.
From 2014 South African Sign Language will be standardised
in schools to ensure all provinces teach the same curriculum from grades R to
12.
Government’s adult literacy initiative called Kha Ri Gude,
offers classes in Braille and sign language.
According to the Department of Basic Education, there was an
increase in the enrolment of 7 to 15 year-old children with disabilities who
attended an educational institution from 73% in 2002 to 94% in 2010.
Content courtesy of : http://www.gov.za/events/view.php?sid=41003
