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Integrated National Disability Strategy White Paper
Office of the Deputy President
November 1997
Foreword
Among the yardsticks by which to measure a society's
respect for human rights, to evaluate the level of its maturity and its generosity of
spirit, its by looking at the status that it accords to those members of society who are
most vunerable, disabled people, the senior citizens and its children.
The concept ot a caring society is strengthened and
deepened when we recognise that disabled people enjoy the same rights as we do and that we
have a responsibility towards the promotion of their quality of life.
We must stop seeing, disabled people as objects of pity but
as capable individuals who are contributing immensely to the development of society.
We must play an active role in working with them to find
joy and happiness and the fulfilment of their aspirations.
Through the establishment of the Office on the Status of
Disabled Persons, in my office, our government wishes to express its unswerving commitment
to the upliftment and improvement of the conditions of those members of our society who
are disabled.
Research estimates that between 5 and 12% of South Africans
are moderately to severely disabled. Despite this large percentage of disabled people, few
services and opportunities exist for people with disabilities to participate equally in
society.
Throughout the world disabled people are organising
themselves to engage society on the question of their fundamental rights. The United
Nations has issued two documents dealing with the concerns of people with disabilities.
These are the United Nations Standard Rules for the Equalisation of Opportunities
for Persons with Disabilities and the World Program of Action Concerning Disabled Persons.
Both documents call for extensive changes in the
environment to accommodate the diverse needs of disabled persons in society. The emphasis
is on a fundamental shift in how we view disabled people, away from the individual medical
perspective, to the human rights and development of disabled people.
As a government we endorse these principles.
This White Paper represents the government's thinking about
what it. can contribute to the development of disabled people and to the promotion and
protection of their rights. We believe in a partnership with disabled people. Therefore
the furtherance of our joint objectives can only be met by the involvement of people with
disabilities themselves.
This document is the product of an intensive and thorough
process of consultation with all the relevant organisations of and for disabled people.
We believe that this White Paper reflects the aspirations
of many disabled people in our country. But this is not the end of the process.
The Integrated National Disability Strategy will kick-start
a further process involving disabled people in the development of specific policies and
legislation aimed at giving effect to the recommendations contained in the White Paper.
Finally, may we take this opportunity to thank the many
individuals and organisations who have contributed to the development of this White Paper.
Your contributions will prove to be invaluable to the
process of the creation of a truly people centred society.
T M MBEKI
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Acknowledgements
The Deputy President wishes to acknowledge the contribution
of all individuals and organisations who participated in the production of the White
Paper. In particular he would like to acknowledge the following:
Core Group:
Charlotte McClain, Community Law Centre, University
of the Western Cape
Colleen Howell, Disabled People South Africa
Fadila Lagadien, National Co-ordinating Committee on Disability
Lidia Pretorius, Rural Disability Consultant
Maria Rantho MP,
Chairperson, Disabled People South Atrica
Philip Thompson,
Chairperson, South African Federal Council on Disability.
Publication
Sue de Villiers, for her patient editing of the Draft White
Paper. and numerous other tasks.
Benny Gool for providing the cover picture.
Rustica Press for the publication of the White Paper.
International support
The Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA)
provided financial support for the entire process. Johan Brisman and Lotta Sylwander gave
immeasurable support at critical moments in the development of the White Paper.
Organisations
The critical and valued comment received from the member
organisations of the South African Federal Council on Disability, especially, Disabled
People South Africa, National Council for Persons with Disabilities, Deaf
Federation of South Africa, National Epilepsy League, Quadriplegic Association of South
Africa, and the South African National Council for the Blind.
Office of the Deputy President
Dr Essop Pahad, Deputy Minister in the Office of the Deputy
President, provided guidance throughout the process of compiling the White Paper.
Reverend Frank Chikane, Director-General, and Lucille
Meyer, Chief Director, Office of the Deputy President, provided technical support
throughout the entire process of producing the White Paper.
Shuaib Chalklen, Director, Office on the Status of Disabled
Persons, co-ordinated the overall process of producing the White Paper.
A special word of thanks to all the individuals who made
the valuable submissions at the national and provincial public hearings. Your efforts are
sincerely appreciated.
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Table of
Contents
FOREWORD
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
CHAPTER ONE: SITUATION ANALYSIS
CHAPTER TWO: NATIONAL INTERNATIONAL
CONTEXT
CHAPTER THREE: POLICY GUIDELINES
CHAPTER FOUR: LEGISLATION MONITORING
CHAPTER FIVE: PROGRESS TO DATE
CHAPTER SIX: RECCOMMENDATIONS
Appeddix A: Monitoring Structures
Appendix B: Glossary of Terms
Appendix C: Glossary of Acronyms
Integrated National Disability Strategy
Executive
Summary
There is a serious lack of reliable information about the
nature and prevalence of disability in South Africa. A 1995 estimate puts disability
prevalence in our society at 5% of the population.
People with disabilities are excluded from the mainstream
of society and experience difficulty in accessing fundamental rights. There is,
furthermore, a strong relationship between disability and poverty. Poverty makes people
more vulnerable to disability and disability reinforces and deepens poverty. Particularly
vulnerable are the traditionally disadvantaged groups in South Africa including,
additionally, people with severe mental disabilities, people disabled by violence and war
and people with AIDS.
Disability tends to be couched within a medical and welfare
framework, identifying people with disabilities as ill, different from their non-disabled
peers, and in need of care. Because the emphasis is on the medical needs of people with
disabilities, there is a corresponding neglect of their wider social needs. This has
resulted in severe isolation for people with disabilities and their families.
Over the past decade, disabled people's organisations all
over the world have worked to reposition disability as a human rights issue. The result is
a social model for disability based on the premise that if society cannot cater for people
with disabilities, it is society that must change. This model requires substantial changes
to the physical environment. The goal must be the right of people with disabilities to
play a full, participatory role in society.
This changing ethos has taken place within an international
context which finally gave rise, in 1993, to the UN Standard Rules on the Equalisation of
Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities. A key principle of disabled people's
movements throughout the world, and indeed of the social model itself, is the involvement
of people with disabilities in the process of transformation.
The vision of the Integrated National Disability Strategy
proposed by the White Paper is a society for all. This means that there must be an
integration of disability issues in all government development strategies, planning and
programmes. There must be an integrated and co-ordinated management system for planning,
implementation and monitoring at all spheres of government. And, to complement the
process, there must be capacity building and wide public education.
Key policy areas have been identified. These include
prevention, health care, rehabilitation, public education, barrier free access, transport,
communications, data collection and research, education, employment, human resource
development, social welfare and community development, social security, housing and sport
and recreation. The White Paper has developed policy objectives, strategies and mechanisms
for each of these areas. Where necessary, different components have been identified.
Recommendations highlight specific areas for action.
The right of people with disabilities are protected by the
Constitution. Government departments and state bodies have a responsibility to ensure
that, in each line function, concrete steps are taken to ensure that people with
disabilities are able to access the same fundamental rights and responsibilities as any
other South African.
To co-ordinate this activity, the Office on the Status of
Disabled Persons has been established in the Office of the Deputy President. The Office on
the Status of Disabled Persons will work together with, and parallel to, the various state
bodies and departments in order to further the development of a disability friendly
environment. It will maintain close working links with the NGO sector.
The legislative framework is crucial. There is a need to
examine the need for new legislation. Existing legislation must be scrutinised and amended
where necessary. Ultimately, legislation should comply with and give substance to
Constitutional requirements.
Finally, in order to ensure that legislation is effective
and policy implemented, research and monitoring are essential. Transformation must involve
practical change at every level of our society.
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Chapter One
Situation Analysis
Prevalence of Disability in South Africa
There is a serious lack of reliable information on the
nature and prevalence of disability in South Africa. This is because, in the past,
disability issues were viewed chiefly within a health and welfare framework. This led
naturally to a failure to integrate disability into mainstream government statistical
processes.
Statistics are unreliable for the following reasons:
- there are different definitions of disability;
- different survey technologies are used to collect
information;
- there are negative traditional attitudes towards people with
disabilities;
- there is a poor service infrastructure for people with
disabilities in underdeveloped areas, and violence levels (in particular areas at
particular times) have impeded the collection of data, affecting the overall picture.
Some useful statistics are, however, available from the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Central Statistical Service (CSS)(1). These provide some guidance to estimated disability prevalence
in South Africa.(2)
The UNDP estimates that, in 1990, 5,2% of the world
population was experiencing moderate to severe disability. This ranged from 7.7% in
so-called developed countries to 4,5% in less developed areas.
In its 1995 October survey, the CSS reported a disability
prevalence of approximately 5% in South Africa.
It is critical to note that disability does not only affect
the disabled individual but also the family and the immediate community.
Another factor that must be taken into account is the
tendency of society to view people with disabilities as a single group. Thus, people in
wheelchairs have become the popular representatation of people with disabilities. This
ignores the diversity of disability and the variety of needs experienced by people with
different types of disability.(3)
Disability and Exclusion
Introduction
The majority of people with disabilities in South Africa
have been excluded from the mainstream of society and have thus been prevented from
accessing fundamental social, political and economic rights
The exclusion experienced by people with disabilities and
their families is the result of a range of factors, for example:
- the political and economic inequalities of the apartheid
system;
- social attitudes which have perpetuated stereotypes of
disabled people as dependent and in need of care; and
- a discriminatory and weak legislative framework which has
sanctioned and reinforced exclusionary barriers.
The key forms of exclusion responsible for the cumulative
disadvantage of people with disabilities are poverty, unemployment and social isolation.
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Poverty and Exclusion
Poor people face a greater risk of impairment or
disability. In addition, the birth of a disabled child, or the occurrence of disability in
a family, often places heavy demands on family morale, thrusting it deeper into poverty.
This means not only that there is a higher proportion of
disabled people amongst the very poor, but also that there is an increase in families
living at the poverty level as a result of disability. This phenomenon seriously
hinders the development process.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the UN
Development Programme (UNDP) state that a key indicator of poverty is the degree to which
people are excluded from accessing basic goods and services. Poor people do not have
sufficient income to purchase goods. They also live in underdeveloped areas where there is
a lack of sanitation, water, electricity, health services, job opportunities and
educational and recreational facilities.
The CSS 1995 October Household Survey confirms this,
pointing out that large numbers of people with disabilities live in areas where the
infrastructure for the provision of basic services is at its weakest. Hence, a relatively
low percentage of disabled people have access to piped water, electricity and inside
toilet facilities.
Unemployment and Exclusion
People who receive social security benefits in South Africa
tend to be totally dependent on them for their survival. The majority of people with
disabilities, however, receive no grant at all.(4)
At the same time, an estimated 99% of disabled people are
excluded from employment on the open labour market.
The extremely high levels of unemployment amongst people
with disabilities can be attributed to a number of factors:
- low skills levels due to inadequate education;
- discriminatory attitudes and practices by employers;
- past discriminatory and ineffective labour legislation;
- lack of enabling mechanisms to promote employment
opportunities;
- inaccessible public transport;
- inaccessible and unsupportive work environments;
- inadequate and inaccessible provision for vocational
rehabilitation and training;
- generally high levels of unemployment;
- the fact that menial labour is often the only option for
poorly skilled job-seekers;
- inadequate access to information, and
- ignorance in society.
The high level of functional illiteracy amongst disabled
adults is a direct result of the lack of educational opportunities for children with
disabilities, especially in rural areas. The result is low skills levels and a
correspondingly limited access to employment opportunities.
As a result, those people with disabilities who
do
have jobs often find themselves working in sheltered/protective workshops run either by
the Departments of Welfare and Labour, by private welfare organisations or by disabled
people themselves. Although the nature and scope of these workshops and self help projects
vary considerably, they do not provide people with disabilities and their families with
sustainable incomes or opportunities for competitive economic activity.
Exclusion Through Legislation
Legislation has contributed to the social exclusion of
people with disabilities. First, legislation fails to protect the rights of people with
disabilities and, second, through legislation, barriers are created to prevent people with
disabilities from accessing equal opportunities.
Although there has, since 1994, been some attempt to
identify and eliminate discriminatory legislation from our statute books, many aspects of
past discriminatory legislation remain. In addition, some new laws and amendments contain
sections which directly or indirectly lead to discrimination against people with
disabilities. As a result, large sections of the legislative framework in South Africa
still fail to meet international human rights standards and principles with regard to the
rights of people with disabilities.
One of the main reasons why legislative discrimination
continues to take place is that discrimination is not always obvious merely from reading a
statute. Problems often arise when the law or statute is applied.
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These include:
- the way regulations governing specific acts are drawn up;
- the way acts and/or their regulations are administered;
- inappropriate and/or ignorant interpretation of the law, and
- poor monitoring of the law.
Although the rights of people with disabilities are
enshrined in the Constitution, there is, as yet, no disability specific legislation.
Sectors Experiencing High Levels of Exclusion
Introduction
It is important to recognise that there are sectors within
the disabled community which have experienced greater discrimination than others. These
sectors have experienced, and still experience, comparatively higher levels of exclusion
from the social, economic and political environment.
This demands special targeting in order to redress past and
present inequalities. Special attention must also be given to understanding and addressing
the conditions which have led to the extreme vulnerability of these sectors. The following
are the most vulnerable groups:
Women with Disabilities, particularly Black Disabled Women
South African society is still very patriarchal and
discriminatory. Although attitudes are changing, women are still typically viewed as
second class citizens, subservient to men and in need of protection. Their social role is,
by and large, defined through motherhood and homemaking.
Disabled women experience the same oppression as
non-disabled women, but often without even the status that women traditionally receive as
mothers or wives. In addition, disabled women experience more discrimination than other
women from being unable to live up to the demanding ideals for womanhood imposed by
society.
Thus, while it is commonly said that disabled women are
women first, then disabled, their circumstances need to be socially contextualised. The
very focus of the women's movement - the advancement of an image of women as powerful and
competent - has tended to marginalise disabled women. In this context, women with
disabilities seem to reinforce traditional stereotypes of women as dependent, passive and
needy.
The consequent isolation of disabled women means:
- disabled women are more likely to be poor or destitute;
- disabled women are more likely to be malnourished;
- disabled women are more likely to be illiterate, and
- disabled women have a lesser chance of founding a family.
In addition, women who bear disabled children sometimes
face rejection and even scorn. Such women, especially in poverty-stricken areas, also
often find themselves excluded from social and economic activities due to the additional
attention required by, and lack of facilities for, their disabled children.(5)
An alarmingly high proportion of care-givers of disabled
children are grandmothers, further exacerbating the disadvantaged circumstances of elderly
women in South Africa.
Thus the stigma of disability, its myths and fears are
likely to increase women's social isolation in society.
Children with Disabilities, particularly Black Disabled
Children
South African society still regards children with
disabilities as incapable, ill and a burden on society. In other words, they represent a
'problem' to be dealt with separately from other children's issues.
More than 80% of black children with disabilities live in
extreme poverty in inhospitable environments. They have very poor access to appropriate
health care facilities and early childhood development opportunities.
When born into families of poor socioeconomic backgrounds,
such children frequently grow up believing that their disabilities are an economic and
social curse and burden on their families. As a result, they often perceive themselves to
be worthless.
The fact that children with disabilities are unable to
defend themselves, are often alone at home and are undervalued by those around them also
makes them particularly vulnerable to physical, sexual and emotional abuse.
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Such children are also less likely than their siblings to
attend school, to go on outings, to experience situations where they have to solve
problems or to contribute to household chores. As a result, they grow to be disempowered
adults, unable to take decisions, solve problems or take the initiative. This, in its
turn, contributes to high unemployment figures amongst adults with disabilities.
Children with disabilities fear and experience exclusion
from a very young age. Separation from family, friends and peers is common. Non-disabled
children, in their turn, learn that the exclusion of children with disabilities is the
norm and therefore socially acceptable. These early experiences reinforce acceptance of
segregation in later life.
Although the parents of children with disabilities have a
special and specific role to play in the development of their children, mothers
(especially) of children with disabilities often face ostracism from their partners, their
families and their communities. This exclusion badly affects other non-disabled siblings,
the survival of the family as a unit and the meaningful development of the disabled child.
This situation is frequently exacerbated by professionals
who take over decision making from the parent(s), insisting that they know what is best
for the child. As a result, the mother may lose self-confidence in her abilities not only
as a mother, but also as a competent human being.
People with Severe Intellectual or Mental Disabilities
It is commonly considered that the specific needs of people
with severe mental/ intellectual disabilities fall outside the ambit of development. Such
people are likely to be regarded as ill and in need of constant care. They are not,
therefore, provided with opportunities to participate in society to the best of their
abilities.
People with severe intellectual or mental disabilities are
particularly vulnerable during a period of transition from institutionalisation towards
community-based services.
A number of investigations in recent years have unearthed
gross human rights violations in institutions for people with mental and/or intellectual
disabilities. Yet experiences in the United States, United Kingdom and Europe have shown
that a move away from institutionalisation often results in people with severe
intellectual or mental disabilities becoming homeless and living on the streets, with
little or no community support.
People with intellectual disabilities or mental illnesses
are also particularly vulnerable when confronted with the justice system. Their testimony
is often not taken seriously, they are not regarded as reliable witnesses and they seldom
have access to advocates through whom they can speak.
People with severe intellectual disabilities living in
rural areas often have a low life expectancy, due to lack of care, support and access even
to the most basic services. Families can seldom meet the additional financial burden of
regular visits to hospitals, additional expenses for equipment and assistive devices, and
other necessaries.
Elderly People with Disabilities
The prevalence of disability increases drastically with the
onset of old age. It follows that, as the life expectancy of South Africa's population
increases, so too will the prevalence of disability in our society.
Poor access to home-based health and social services,
especially in rural communities, means that elderly people with disabilities often live in
the back-rooms of their children's homes.
Inaccessible public transport and barriers in the built
environment mean that services aimed at the elderly seldom reach those with disabilities.
This further contributes to the isolation and depression experienced by this group.
People with Disabilities Living in Remote Rural Areas
One of the many features of apartheid was a severe under
funding of social and economic services in the former Bantustans and 'independent' states.
This had a particularly severe impact on people with disabilities who found themselves in
an inhospitable environment, facing poor living conditions and unable to access the help
they needed.
A lack of timeous and appropriate medical care has
contributed significantly to an increase in preventable secondary and tertiary
disabilities.
Although a percentage of people with disabilities receive
social security benefits, these benefits are often used to pay neighbours and family
members to perform tasks.(6)
In addition, people with disabilities in rural areas seldom
have any prospect of engaging in the informal sector, due to poverty, inaccessible public
transport systems and social rejection.
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Youth with Disabilities
Youth with disabilities are less likely to access youth
development programmes than their peers for the same reasons as other groups with
disabilities. As with other groups, it is also important to note that there are specific
subgroups that experience particular difficulties. These include:
- homeless youth with disabilities (e.g. street children);
- youth with disabilities who have clashed with the justice
system (e.g. those in schools of industry or reform schools), and
- the so-called "out-of-school out-of-work" youth
with disabilities who have had little or no access to formal education.
People with Disabilities who have been Displaced by
Violence and War
South Africa is slowly emerging from a very violent past.
The violence attendant on the implementation of apartheid policies and during the pre-1994
election period contributed not only to disability prevalence, but also to the
displacement of large numbers of people with disabilities. In addition, the previous
government's policies of destabilisation in neighbouring states resulted in large numbers
of disabled refugees entering South Africa.
People with disabilities who have been displaced by
violence and war are particularly vulnerable and may suffer additional hardships.(7)
People with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
People who are HIV positive suffer from social
discrimination similar to that experienced by people with disabilities. This does not,
however, imply that they are necessarily disabled. For the purpose of the Integrated
National Disability Strategy therefore, they are not included in the definition of
disability, except where symptoms, such as prolonged fatigue, interfere with their normal
functioning.
People who have acquired disabilities due to the
progression of the illness to full-blown AIDS are a particularly vulnerable group. Often
they do not survive the time-consuming processes of applying for social security benefits,
assistive devices and other necessities. Furthermore, the very stress brought on by
efforts to access the assistance they need often hastens the progression of the illness.
People with Multi-Disabilities
People with a number of disabilities experience greater
problems still. Society is completely unprepared for the integration of this group of
people, and their families cannot normally afford to care adequately for them. People with
multi-disabilities need special care, a routine stable environment and a wide range of
specialised services.
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Causes of Disability
Many factors are responsible for the rising numbers of
people with disabilities and their consequent isolation from the mainstream of society.
Violence and War
Disabilities are caused by violence, especially against
women and children; injuries as a result of landmines, and psychological trauma.
Poverty
Disabilities are caused or exacerbated by overcrowded and
unhealthy living conditions. Disability feeds on poverty, and poverty on disability.
Lack of Information
People do not have accurate information about disability,
its causes, its prevention and its treatment. This is because of a high illiteracy rate
and poor knowledge about basic social, health and education services.
Failure of Medical Services
The occurrence of disability is increased by the inadequacy
of primary health care and genetic counselling services; weak organisational links between
social services; the faulty treatment of the injured when accidents occur, and the
incorrect use of medication.
Unhealthy Lifestyles
Disability is caused by the misuse and/or abuse of
medication as well as the abuse of drugs and other substances. It is also caused by
deficiencies in essential foods and vitamins. Disability may also be caused by stress and
other psycho-social problems in a changing society.
Environmental Factors
Disabilities are caused by epidemics, accidents and natural
disasters; pollution of the physical environment, and poisoning by toxic waste and other
hazardous substances
Accidents
Disabilities are caused by industrial, agricultural and
transport related accidents and sports injuries.
Social Environment
The fact that people with disabilities are marginalised and
discriminated against creates an environment in which prevention and treatment are
difficult.
The Medical Model
Introduction
Disability has historically been regarded predominantly as
a health and welfare issue and state intervention has, therefore, been channelled through
welfare institutions. The responsibility for 'caring' for disabled people has thus
generally fallen on civil society. There has been little or no commitment to addressing
disability in other areas of government responsibility.
The Medical Model of Disability means that organisations
for people with disabilities are usually controlled by non-disabled people who provide
services to people with disabilities.
The vast majority of organisations for disabled people were
founded by people concerned with creating a more 'caring' environment for different groups
of disabled people.
Their aim was usually to provide treatment, or to create
alternatives to begging or 'hiding away'. The philosophy was that disabled people were not
to be hated or feared, but rather to be pitied or helped as part of the 'deserving poor'.
People with disabilities very seldom had any say in the
aims, objectives and management of these organisations. The emphasis was on dependence and
the focus on the nature of impairment. This meant that all interventions were based on
assessment, diagnosis and labelling, with therapy programmes developed separately and
through alternative services. Generally, ordinary needs were not taken into account.
The social attitudes which resulted from the perception of
disability as a health and welfare issue have invaded all areas of society. The result is
that disabled people and their families have been isolated from their communities and
mainstream activities. Dependency on state assistance has disempowered people with
disabilities and has seriously reduced their capacity and confidence to interact on an
equal level with other people in society.
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Thus the dependency created by the medical model
disempowers disabled people and isolates them from the mainstream of society, preventing
them from accessing fundamental social, political and economic rights.
Social exclusion manifests itself in:
The Family
Children as young as three years old are sent off to board
at special schools(8);
The Built Environment
Barriers in the built environment prevent people with
disabilities from participating in society.(9)
Mainstream Services
Ordinary services are designed and planned on the
assumption that they will not be used by disabled people.(10)
Social Relationships
People with disabilities tend to spend much more time on
their own than their non-disabled peers due to the barriers in society.
Communications
Information systems(11) are
often inaccessible to people with disabilities. Sign Language is seldom used.
The Labour Market and Employment Opportunities
A 1985 HSRC/NTB investigation showed that 72,6% of people
with disabilities were then economically inactive. Another study estimated that some 0,26%
of people with disabilities were employed in the open labour market.
The Social Model
People with disabilities in South Africa came together in
the early 'eighties to mobilise and organise themselves. Their aim was to build a strong
civil movement of organisations controlled by disabled people themselves. Central to the
disability rights movement is the assertion of disability as a human rights and
development issue.
Disability as a Human Rights and Development Issue
An understanding of disability as a human rights and
development issue leads to a recognition and acknowledgement that people with disabilities
are equal citizens and should therefore enjoy equal rights and responsibilities.
This implies that the needs of every individual are of
equal importance, and that needs must be made the basis for planning. It further implies
that resources must be employed in such a way as to ensure that every individual has equal
opportunities for participation in society.
In addition to rights, people with disabilities should have
equal obligations within society and should be given the support necessary to enable them
to exercise their responsibilities. This means that society must raise its expectations of
people with disabilities.
A human rights and development approach to disability
focuses on the removal of barriers to equal participation and the elimination of
discrimination based on disability.
The Social Model of Disability
The social model of disability suggests that the collective
disadvantage of disabled people is due to a complex form of institutional discrimination.
This discrimination is fundamental to the way society thinks and operates.
The social model is based on the belief that the
circumstances of people with disabilities and the discrimination they face are socially
created phenomena and have little to do with the impairments of disabled people. The
disability rights movement believes, therefore, that the 'cure' to the 'problem' of
disability lies in restructuring society.
The social model of disability implies a paradigm shift in
how we construct disability. Thus:
- It is the stairs leading into a building that disable the
wheelchair user rather than the wheelchair.
- It is defects in the design of everyday equipment that cause
difficulties, not the abilities of people using it.
- It is society's lack of skill in using and accepting
alternative ways to communicate that excludes people with communication disabilities.
- It is the inability of the ordinary schools to deal with
diversity in the classroom that forces children with disabilities into special schools.(12)
The social model therefore emphasises two things: the
shortcomings of society in respect of disability, and the abilities and capabilities of
people with disabilities themselves.
This results in an approach that requires that resources be
made available to transform so-called 'ordinary' amenities and services to cater for a
more diverse environment.
The Social Model, therefore, implies that the
reconstruction and development of our society involves a recognition of and intention to
address the developmental needs of disabled people within a framework of inclusive
development. Nation building, where all citizens participate in a single economy, can only
take place if people with disabilities are included in the process.
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Existing Disability Structures
Introduction
The paradigm shift (from the medical to the social model)
has come about largely through the development of strong organisations of disabled people
(DPOs). Central to the concept of the social model of disability is the principle of self
representation by people with disabilities through DPOs.
One of the most important initiatives undertaken by the
DPOs over the past few years has been the development of a number of charters which
express the demands and rights of people with disabilities in South Africa.
Disabled people's organisations
Disabled People International (DPI) is recognised by the
United Nations as the international assembly of disabled people. DPI recognises Disabled
People South Africa (DPSA) as the national assembly of disabled people in South Africa.
DPSA is a national organisation of smaller community-based disabled people's
organisations.
Over the years, a number of parent organisations have also
been founded. The Disabled Children Action Group (DICAG) has the largest membership, with
affiliated community-based parent organisations throughout the country.
A number of national disability-specific DPOs, with
international links, has also emerged over the years. These include:
- The Deaf Federation of South Africa (DEAFSA)
- The South African Blind Worker Organisation of South Africa
(SABWO)
- The National Organisation of the Blind in South Africa
(NOBSA)
- The South African Mental Health Federation
- The Quadriplegic Association of South Africa (QUASA)
- The Down Syndrome Forum of South Africa
- The South African Epilepsy League
It is also important that people with intellectual or
severe mental disabilities are able to speak for themselves through the use of advocates.
The South African Federation for Mental Health has embarked on an advocacy programme to
develop the concept of self representation by people with severe mental and/or
intellectual disabilities.
The disabled people and parent organisations concentrate on
advocacy and development work aimed at empowering people with disabilities. Very few of
them receive any government support.
South African Federal Council on Disability
The South African Federal Council on Disability (SAFCD) is
the national umbrella body for all national disability NGOs. It is the national forum
where all national welfare organisations, as well as national organisations of disabled
people and parents, come together to negotiate and develop common visions for the
equalisation of opportunities for people with disabilities. The national welfare councils
concentrate on service delivery(13) and are
part-subsidised by government.
The following service/welfare organisations are affiliated
to the SAFCD:
- The Deaf Federation of South Africa (DEAFSA)
- The South African National Council for the Blind (SANCB)
- The National Council for the Physically Disabled (NCPD)
- The South African National Epilepsy League (SANEL)
- The South African Federation for Mental Health (SAFMH)
- The South African Foundation of Cheshire Homes
- Occupational Therapy Association of South Africa (OTASA)
- The Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA)
- South African Council for the Aged
Disabled and parent organisations that have affiliated
include:
- Disabled People South Africa (DPSA)
- Disabled Children Action Group (DICAG)
- Down Syndrome Forum of South Africa
- The National Council of Quadriplegic Associations in South
Africa (QUASA)
The SAFCD is the recognised structure interacting with
Government on disability issues. Government and the SAFCD are currently investigating the
feasibility of transforming the SAFCD into a statutory body.
The paradigm shift away from the medical towards the social
model implies a change in the way financial support is provided by government. This means
that the development work engaged in by DPOs must be carefully evaluated against work done
by the currently funded service organisations.
National Coordinating Committee on Disability
The National Year of the Disabled in 1986 saw the
establishment of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Disability (ICCD). Its function was
to implement the recommendations of the 1986 Report on disability. This structure was,
however, disbanded in 1992 after the national disability rights movement pointed out that
not a single recommendation had been acted upon.
The National Coordinating Committee on Disability (NCCD)
was eventually established in 1993 to serve as a coordinating and advisory body to
government on disability matters during the transitional period. Membership falls within
three main categories, namely: key national government departments; national disability
service/welfare organisations, and national disabled people organisations.
Four permanent working commissions (on prevention,
rehabilitation, equal opportunities and public awareness) and a committee on legislation
spearheaded policy proposals in key areas during the transitional period. The South
African Disability Institute (SADI) was founded to lend a facilitating, coordinating and
supporting role.
The NCCD is currently being restructured. After extensive
negotiations between government and the NCCD, it was decided that SAFCD should become the
representative structure of people with disabilities.
Office on the Status of Disabled Persons
The NCCD played a key role in the establishment of the
Disability Programme in the Ministry without Portfolio in the Office of the President
which was responsible for the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP). On the
closure of this Ministry, the Office on the Status of Disabled Persons was moved to the
Office of the Deputy President where it now has directorate status.
[ Top ]
Footnotes
1. 1995 October Household Survey
2. Although estimates of disability
prevalence vary considerably, the studies completed by the UNDP and the Central
Statistical Service provide important information on the nature and effect of disability
on individuals and families in South Africa. This information is reinforced by the
recorded experiences of disabled people and their families. Data has also been collected
by organisations representing and working with this sector of the population.
3. Reports of the abuse of deaf children
in schools are common. These children are a particularly victimised group because, without
an interpreter, they are unable to communicate their plight.
4. In 1993, disability grants were paid
out to 593 162 people. The average grant (1993) of R350 paid out to approximately 30% of
people with disabilities was often used to support entire families.
5. The Disabled Children Action Group
(DICAG) estimates that 98% of mothers of children with disabilities living in rural areas
are unemployed, semi-literate or functionally illiterate single women. Deserted by
husbands and lovers, often socially ostracised by their communities, and banished into
isolation by their extended families, they tend to withdraw into a world of their own.
6. such as fetching water or firewood,
and paying dearly for private transport to hospitals, schools and pension pay points.
7. For example, the loss of social
security benefits; the inability of agencies to provide safe accessible shelter; abuse
etc.
8. Although the overall policy
recommendation is for the inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream education,
the Deaf community believes that Deaf children need special schools, claiming that this is
of cardinal importance for their concept and learning acquisition.
9. For example, entrances and toilet
facilities of public buildings, poor town planning, etc.
10. Such as day care, education,
transport, health, sport and recreation, etc.
11. Such as public media, public
service communication systems.
12. Footnote 16 refers.
13. For example, social work services,
sheltered employment, assistive device provisioning, rehabilitation services, employment
placement.
[ Top ]
Chapter Two
National and International Context
National and International Scenario
World Programme of Action Concerning Disabled Persons
1981 was declared the International Year of Disabled
Persons by the United Nations. This year was not recognized by the South African
government. It was, nevertheless, promoted by the NGO sector whose adopted theme was 'Full
Participation and Equality'.
It was this that gave rise to the development of a
disability rights movement in this country.
The most important outcome of the International Year of
Disabled Persons was the adoption of the World Programme of Action Concerning Disabled
Persons during the UN Decade of Disabled Persons (1983-1993). The purpose of
the World Programme of Action was to promote effective measures for the prevention of
disability, rehabilitation and the realization of equal opportunities for persons with
disabilities.
1986: National Year of Disabled Persons
1986, the International Year of Peace, was also not
recognized by the South African government which, apparently in an attempt to divert
attention from the violence raging in the country at the time, declared a National Year of
the Disabled.
Investigations carried out on the circumstances of disabled
people by NGOs (including the DPSA and the Government) revealed the complete absence of
any workable policy on disability. Gross discrepancies in the few existing services were
also revealed, in terms of both racial and rural/urban distribution.
Following the 1986 investigation, an Interdepartmental
Coordinating Committee for the Care of the Disabled (ICCD), involving state departments
and the NGO sector, was established. Its role was to implement the various recommendations
arising out of the 1986 investigation. Because, by the end of 1991, it had not succeeded
in implementing a single one of its tasks, it was disbanded and a restructured South
African Federal Council on the Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons (SAFCD) was given
responsibility for policy development.
In doing so, it was to build on the experience and creative
interaction between service providers and representatives of organizations of disabled
people over the preceding seven years.
It was also decided that the Federal Council should
interface with the political negotiating process rather than the government of the day.
However, this structure also struggled due to lack of capacity and other factors.
Standard Rules on the Equalisation of Opportunities for
Persons with Disabilities
The UN facilitated the drafting of the Standard Rules for
the Equalisation of Opportunities for Disabled Persons to provide governments with clearer
guidelines on actions to be taken. The Standard Rules were adopted by the UN General
Assembly on 20 December 1993.
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Aims of the Standard Rules
The aims of the standard rules are as follows:
- They imply a strong moral and political commitment by the
State to take action for the equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities.
- They offer an instrument for policy-making and action. The
purpose is to ensure that all persons with disabilities may exercise the same rights and
obligations as other citizens.
- They outline crucial aspects of social policies in the
disability field, and provide models for the political decision-making process required
for the attainment of equal opportunities.
- They propose national mechanisms for close collaboration
between the State, organs of the UN, NGOs and DPOs(1).
Objectives of the Standard Rules
The objectives of the Standard Rules are to:
- stress that all action in the field of disability
presupposes adequate knowledge and experience of the conditions and special needs of
persons with disabilities;
- emphasise that the process through which every aspect of the
organisation of society is made accessible to all is a basic objective of socio-economic
development;
- outline crucial aspects of social policies in the field of
disability, including, as appropriate, the active encouragement of technical and economic
cooperation;
- provide models for the political decision-making process
required for the attainment of equal opportunities, bearing in mind: widely differing
technical and economic levels; the fact that the process must reflect keen understanding
of the cultural context within which it takes place, and the crucial role of persons with
disabilities in it, and
- propose national mechanisms for close collaboration among
states, the organs of the UN system, other intergovernmental bodies and organisations of
persons with disabilities.
Political and Moral Foundation
The international Bill of Human Rights comprises the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the
Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination against Women, as well as the World Programme of Action concerning
Disabled Persons. It constitutes the political and moral foundation for the Standard Rules
on the Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities.
Disability Rights Charters
The following disability rights charters are pertinent.
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The Disability Rights Charter of South Africa
During 1991, the Disability Rights Unit of Lawyers for
Human Rights (LHR), together with DPSA, began working on a charter of demands of disabled
people in South Africa.
The development of a draft charter involved a lengthy
process of consultation with many organisations of disabled people throughout the country.
The demands of disabled people were collected in this process. The final charter, after
various processes of ratification, was finally adopted by the DPSA Council in December
1992.
The Disability Rights Charter of South Africa reflects
demands from disabled people. The aim is to promote equal opportunities for all disabled
people. It is a document which asserts the right of all disabled people to live
independently in a safe environment and in a society free from all forms of
discrimination, exploitation and abuse.
Specific Disability- Related Charters
In order to address the more specific needs of people with
different disabilities, various sectors within the disabled community have been involved
in developing charters. These express the specific demands and rights of different sectors
of the disabled community. These charters are important in highlighting the fact that
people with different disabilities experience discrimination in different ways, and thus
reflect the importance of a comprehensive and integrated approach to addressing disability
issues in South Africa.(2)
1996 Constitution
Another important development for the disabled community in
South Africa took place when the 1996 Constitution came into effect.
Chapter 2 of the 1996 Constitution guarantees fundamental
rights to all citizens. It includes, in Section 9, the equality clause, and the right to
freedom from discrimination based on a number of social criteria. Discrimination based on
disability is specifically mentioned and disabled people are thus guaranteed the right to
be treated equally and to enjoy the same rights as all other citizens.
The inclusion of this provision in the Constitution has
far-reaching implications for preventing discrimination against disabled people in our
society. It now requires practical implementation.
Provision is also made for affirmative action. Persons with
disabilities have clearly been disadvantaged in the past, and should benefit from this
clause.
The Right to Franchise, however, excludes from voting
people with mental disabilities confined to institutions.
The Reconstruction and Development Programme
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The RDP White Paper
The White Paper of the Ministry without Portfolio in the
Office of the President commits itself to the following:
"The Government will design, in consultation with
disabled people, a comprehensive programme for the disabled which will enhance their
engagement in society and remove discriminatory practices against them, especially in the
workplace. Government will also discuss means to reintegrate mentally and physically
disabled people into their communities ..."
Despite this significant commitment by the Government of
National Unity, it is also important that the needs of disabled people be integrated into
all components of the RDP. In this regard, the Government has acknowledged that the first
RDP White Paper did not address disability in an integrated manner.
As a consequence, a Disability Programme was established in
the Office of the Minister Without Portfolio in the Office of the President to facilitate
the full integration of disability into the RDP. With the closure of the Ministry, the
Office on the Status of Disabled Persons was formally established in the Office of the
Deputy President.
Implementation of the RDP to Date
The importance of integrating disability issues into all
areas of policy development and strategic planning, and the weaknesses inherent in
programmes where this does not take place, is demonstrable. An evaluation of the
implementation of the Presidential Lead Projects (PLPs) thus far, and their capacity to
meet the needs of disabled people, showed that:
- Free health care for children under six years old has not
always automatically been extended to include rehabilitation and the provision of
assistive devices.
- The Primary School Nutrition Scheme has not reached the
majority of disabled children as they are not presently in schools.
- The National Literacy Campaign may fail to reach the
majority of disabled adults, particularly those who are Deaf and/or blind, due to
inaccessible communication and teaching methods. Physically disabled adults may also be
excluded as a result of inaccessible public transport and centres of learning.
- Schools and classrooms built or renovated under the Culture
of Learning Programme are, generally, in contravention of the National Building
Regulations of 1986 and therefore tend to be inaccessible to wheelchair users.
An Integrated National Disability Strategy
Vision: A Society for All
In a society for all, the needs of all citizens constitute
the basis for planning and policy, and the general systems and institutions of society are
accessible to all.
By accommodating the structures of society so that they
function in a way that meets the needs of all, society mobilises the potential of all its
citizens and, consequently, strengthens its developmental potential.
People with disabilities are a natural and integral part of
society as a whole, and should have opportunities to contribute their experience, talents
and capabilities to national and international development.
The concept of a society for all, encompassing human
diversity and the development of all human potential, captures the spirit of the human
rights instruments of the United Nations.
Defining and translating the human rights of disabled
persons into specific measures and programmes, however, remains the major challenge. The
Standard Rules are the main instrument guiding public policy in the direction of ensuring
the human rights of disabled persons. They will also assist Government in creating an
enabling environment that will lead to the full participation and equalization of
opportunities for persons with disabilities at all levels of society - during and after
the period of reconstruction and development. This includes the right of disabled people
to assume full responsibility as members of society.
[ Top ]
Objectives
The objectives of the Integrated National Disability
Strategyinclude:
- the facilitation of the integration of disability issues
into government developmental strategies, planning and programmes;
- the development of an integrated management system for the
coordination of disability planning, implementation and monitoring in the various line
functions at all spheres of government;
- the development of capacity building strategies that will
enhance Government's ability at all levels to implement recommendations contained in the
Integrated
National Disability Strategy.
- a programme of public education and awareness raising aimed
at changing fundamental prejudices in South African society.
Principles
Principles upon which the Strategy is based include:
A People-Driven Process
A fundamental principle which informs the outlook of the
disability rights movement in South Africa and internationally is the right to
self-representation. This means that the collective determination of disabled people must
be used to inform the strategies of the government.
In recognizing this principle, the government acknowledges
the advisory role of organisations of persons with disabilities and their representatives
in the decision-making processes.
The right to equality guaranteed in the 1996 Constitution
must include social and political equality at all levels. This means that disabled people
should enjoy equal access to fundamental rights, even if the exercise of these rights
involves removing barriers and creating enabling mechanisms. For example:
- the right to vote is restricted by inaccessible polling
booths and voting material;
- the right of access to public information is restricted as a
result of inaccessible public media;
- failure to recognize Sign Language prevents Deaf people from
enjoying access to full participation in the social, political and economic life of the
country.
Integration and Sustainability
Historically, disability issues have been addressed in a
piecemeal, fragmented way. This has been one of the key factors contributing to the
marginalisation of disabled people and the dire poverty of the circumstances in which the
majority find themselves.
If the needs of disabled people are to be effectively
addressed and the objectives of the RDP are to be met, disability must be fully integrated
into the principles, strategies and framework of the programme. This will ensure that the
effects of apartheid as they have affected disabled people will be eradicated in a
sustainable process of reconstruction.
Strategic Guidelines
The development of the Integrated National Disability
Strategyneeds to take place within a coherent programme of reconstruction and
development and must be planned and implemented in terms of strategic guidelines.
The pursuit of goals of freedom from want, hunger,
deprivation, ignorance, oppression and exclusion should underpin strategies for disability
planning.
The funding of the Integrated National Disability
Strategyas part of reconstruction and development should link up with
potential sources of finance and related policies, whether from the public or private
sector.
All disability programmes should be carried out with
appropriate consultation and facilitation, and should include the necessary monitoring
mechanisms.
The Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for
Persons with Disabilities, the World Programme of Action Concerning Disabled Persons and
the Disability Rights Charters will be the guiding documents in developing, implementing
and monitoring the Integrated National Disability Strategy.
[ Top ]
Footnotes
1. through the SAFCD
2. The SA Blind Workers Organisation
(SABWO) drafted a Charter of Demands for Persons with Visual Disabilities that has
subsequently been endorsed by the SANCB's Council as representative of the views of
persons with visual disabilities. The Deaf community initiated a process of listing their
specific demands in response to the Disability Rights Charter of South Africa.
Chapter Three
Policy Guidelines
Prevention
Introduction
One of the cornerstones of disability policy is prevention.
The majority of disabilities are preventable. There are, however, a number of reasons why
there is a failure to prevent disabilities.
Lack of Coordination
Although there are a number of policies aimed at preventing
disabilities, there is no coherent coordination between the various government departments
to ensure that these policies are properly carried out.
Absence of Policies
There are a number of areas in which policies should exist,
but do not.(1)
Lack of Identification and Intervention
Existing prevention policies are not effectively linked to
identification and early intervention policies.
Policy Objectives
Primary prevention means trying to prevent the diseases and
accidents which may cause impairments and disabilities. Policy objectives are therefore:
Healthy Lifestyle Promotion
The promotion of a healthy lifestyle in the home, at
school, in the workplace and on the sports field.
Protective Measures
Specific protective measures such as immunisation,
protection against accidents, and protection against occupational hazards.
Secondary Prevention
Secondary prevention means early identification of
impairments and disabilities followed by prompt treatment (or early intervention).
Secondary prevention may result in:
- a cure;(2)
- a slower rate of progression of the impairment;
- the prevention of complications.(3)
Strategies
Avoidance of Conflict
The avoidance of conflict, war and violence. This includes
observance of South Africa's ban on landmines and the pursuit of peace initiatives.
Decrease in Poverty
An improvement in the educational, economic and social
status of the poor.
Improved Health Services
A continued improvement in health services. This must
include:
- immunisation;
- early identification of impairments and appropriate
interventions;
- mother and child health care;
- appropriate health care instruction;
- family planning;
- genetic counselling;
- rapid and effective emergency medical treatment;
- effective management and control of disabling and
degenerative diseases, and
- devolvement/decentralisation to primary level of
historically secondary level services (e.g. management and control of priority chronic
diseases, diseases of older persons and basic rehabilitation).
Reduction in Accidents
A reduction in occupational and environmental accidents
through the adaptation of the environment.
Laws to Prevent Accidents
The adoption and implementation of legislation and
regulations to prevent accidents at work and on the roads.
Worker Check-ups
Regular check-ups for workers at risk.
Monitoring of Diseases
The regular monitoring of all potentially disabling
diseases.
Resources
Adequate resource allocations, both human and financial.
Mechanisms
Coordination of Services
The coordination of services and programmes between all
line functions at all levels of government, establishing early identification and
intervention network structures and referral systems.
Public Education Programmes
On-going intersectoral national awareness programmes
focusing on disability prevention.
Involvement of the Disability Sector
Disabled people's organisations are a key component of
disability prevention at community level. Their involvement is particularly important in
the facilitation of public education programmes, early identification and referral.
[ Top ]
Personnel Training
All health workers, sports administrators, audiologists,
speech therapists, shop stewards, teachers and other local role players should receive
orientation courses in prevention and intervention.
Involvement of Role Players
The following role players should be involved in pursuing
policy objectives:
- government, particularly the Departments of Health, Welfare,
Labour, Sport, Mineral and Energy Affairs and Education;
- the disability sector (SAFCD);
- other role players such as trade unions and the Medical
Research Council, and
- international organisations such as the ILO and the WHO.
Public Education and Awareness Raising
Introduction
One of the greatest hurdles disabled people face when
trying to access mainstream programmes are negative attitudes. It is these attitudes that
lead to the social exclusion and marginalisation of people with disabilities.
Negative attitudes are continually reinforced. Disability
is portrayed as a 'problem'. People with disabilities are viewed as helpless and
dependent; as ill and in constant need of care and medical treatment, or as tragic
victims.
Culture plays an important role in the way we relate to
people with disabilities.(4) This contributes to the
perception of people with disabilities as different or 'outsiders'.
The changing of attitudes is not something that happens
automatically or spontaneously. Attitude changing is a complex process which involves
moving, in a series of stages, from one set of attitudes to another.(5)
Public education and awareness are central to the changing
of attitudes.
Policy Objectives
Policy objectives for public education and awareness
raising include:
[ Top ]
Awareness Raising
The raising of awareness of disability as a human rights
and development issue, and the implications of pursuing the social model of disability.
Every component of government and society at large should be targeted.
Decreasing Discrimination
Decreasing discrimination against people with disabilities
based on archaic beliefs and customs.
Putting a Value on Diversity
Creating a positive and accommodating environment in which
diversity is respected and valued.
Strategies
Strategies for public education and awareness raising
include:
National Disability Awareness Strategy
The development of a multi-sectoral integrated national
disability awareness strategy;
Media Awareness
The development of disability awareness projects aimed at
journalists and the public broadcaster;
Government Awareness
The development of a disability awareness programme within
every line function in government;
Media Visibility
Increased visibility of people with disabilities in the
media.
Mechanisms
The success of the Public Education and Self Awareness
initiative will depend on:
[ Top ]
Self Representation
People with disabilities are best equipped to change
perceptions and attitudes towards disability, and should therefore play a central role in
the development of strategies and projects through their legitimate organisations. The
appointment of a disabled representative to the SABC Board (1996/97) was an important
first step.
Public Media
The public media plays a central role in the way society
constructs images and beliefs, and should therefore be utilised as a key mechanism in
changing attitudes.
South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC)
One of the responsibilities of the SAHRC, as defined by the
Constitution, is human rights education. It is, therefore, essential that the SAHRC takes
the lead in the promotion of human rights education pertaining to people with
disabilities.
Personnel Training
All training of personnel who deal with the public should
contain disability awareness components so that they may understand the Social Model of
disability and its implications.
Public Holidays
South Africa has a number of public holidays related to
human rights promotion.(6) The International Day of
Disabled People falls on 3 December. These days should be used to contextualise and
promote disability as a human rights and development issue.
Health Care
Introduction
Appropriate, accessible and affordable health services at
primary, secondary and tertiary level are essential to the equalisation of opportunities
for people with disabilities.
Such services should include general medical and nursing
assistance on an in-patient, out-patient or community home care basis, and specialised
health professional assistance.
Where the disability permits, special forms of assistance,
offered either on an outpatient basis or at home, are preferred to hospital care. It is
believed that such an approach will increase access to comprehensive, extensive medical
and psychological/psychiatric assistance services.
Other health care related services are dealt with under
separate sections in this document.
Policy Objectives
The development of a comprehensive universal health care
system, at primary, secondary and tertiary level, that is sensitive to the general and
specific health care needs of people with disabilities.
[ Top ]
Strategies
Elimination of Discrimination
Measures must be developed and implemented to identify and
reduce discrimination on the basis of disability in the health sector. Particular
attention should be given to the elimination of discrimination against women with
disabilities.(7)
National Data Base
A national data base is currently being developed to
provide information on the medical causes of disability, health-related disability
services, health-related needs of people with disabilities and the incidence of
impairment.
Child Health Care
Measures need to be undertaken to implement comprehensive
free health care for all children with disabilities under six, including free access to
assistive devices and rehabilitation services.
Computer Technology
Computer Technology should be used to increase access to
specialised medical care, especially in rural areas.
Barrier-Free Access
National norms and minimum standards for the building of
health facilities to ensure barrier-free access must be developed.
Communication
Appropriate communication strategies at service-delivery
points must ensure equal access for people with communication disabilities.
Training
Training programmes for medical and allied health personnel
must be developed. These should be geared to the development of an understanding of the
implications of the delivery of health services within the Social Model.
Rehabilitation
Introduction
Rehabilitation is the word used to describe ways of helping
people with disabilities to become fully participating members of society, with access to
all the benefits and opportunities of that society.
This means that disabled people should have access to such
benefits as early childhood development opportunities, education and training
opportunities, job opportunities, and community development programmes.
Rehabilitation services have traditionally been neglected
in South Africa. Predominantly based within the health sector, with the Departments of
Labour and Education carrying some rehabilitation related programmes, these services tend
to be fragmented and uncoordinated. This is due mainly to the lack of a comprehensive
national inter-sectoral rehabilitation policy.
The Social Model of disability proposes a more central role
for disbled people in the planning, development, implementation and monitoring of
rehabilitation services. There will, in other words, be a shift in power away from
professionals towards people with disabilities.
To achieve its aims, the rehabilitation process requires a
number of supportive services, but its impetus must come from community action and
involvement. Community-based rehabilitation should, therefore, form the basis of the
national rehabilitation strategy, supported by secondary and tertiary rehabilitation
services as proposed in the Health Department's Technical Committee on Rehabilitation
Policy.
New labour, social welfare, education and health policies
will also have an influence on the scope of rehabilitation in this country.
Policy Objectives
Access to appropriate rehabilitation services can make the
difference between leading an isolated and economically dependent life and leading an
economically independent life and playing an active role in society. This goal must be
reflected in policy on rehabilitation. The main policy objectives are:
- to enable people with disabilities to reach and maintain
their optimal physical, sensory, intellectual, psychiatric, and/or social functional
levels;
- to provide people with disabilities with the tools to change
their lives and to give them a greater degree of independence;
- to prevent secondary disabilities or to reduce the extent of
disability;
- to take into account the specific needs of different
disability groupings.
Strategies
Strategies for rehabilitation include the following.
[ Top ]
Personnel Training(8)
The appropriate training of people involved in
rehabilitation services is a core component of a national inter-sectoral rehabilitation
strategy.
Training should be understood in its widest sense and
should include general training, further training and in-service training, specialised
training, retraining and re-orientation, as well as induction/introductory courses for
personnel not directly involved in the rehabilitation process.
Inter-sectoral Collaboration
Rehabilitation is a cross-sectoral issue. Major
stakeholders are Health, Welfare, Education and Labour, together with DPOs and NGOs.
Services should be developed in collaboration with all relevant sectors. The planning,
monitoring and evaluation of services must be done with the full participation of people
with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities.
DPOs and parent organisations often form a focal point for
inter-sectoral collaboration at local level.(9)
Role of Disabled People/Parent Organisations (DPOs)
DPOs play a key role in the provision of accessible
rehabilitation services within the community.(10)
These informal activities need to be formalised as a key
component of the delivery system. This can be done by providing access to appropriate
training to improve and enhance activities; providing subsidies to DPOs involved in
rehabilitation activities, and including DPOs in the referral system and data collection
process.
A shift in financial resources is also required, with
rehabilitation subsidies reflecting the contribution made by DPOs.
Components
Rehabilitation can be provided in a number of contexts.(11) However, rehabilitation services should, wherever possible,
be provided within the existing health, education, social welfare and labour structures.
This helps ensure the participation by people with disabilities in regular community
activities. Where this is not achievable, one stop service stations should be developed at
district level in rural areas.
Components include:
Medical Rehabilitation (Therapy)
(12)
Medical rehabilitation is an essential part of the
rehabilitation process. It involves detailed and timely diagnosis and a whole range of
specialised treatments and appropriate techniques.
Medical rehabilitation may occur within the primary health
care delivery system, and as specialist services within the secondary and tertiary health
service delivery system.
Psychological Rehabilitation
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Psychological rehabilitation focuses on mental health and
is used to assist people with brain injuries and/or psychiatric illness.(13)
Educational Rehabilitation
(14)
Educational rehabilitation is a component of education
support services (ESS).
Vocational Rehabilitation
(15)
ILO Conventions 159 (1983) and 168 (1983) provide extensive
guidelines for the development of vocational rehabilitation services.
Vocational rehabilitation should be aimed at people with
disabilities whose prospects of securing and retaining employment are substantially
reduced as a result of their disabilities, but who have reasonable prospects of securing
and retaining suitable employment.
Social Rehabilitation
Social rehabilitation focuses on social functioning.
(16)
Assistive Devices
Assistive/rehabilitation technology enables individuals
with disabilities to participate on equal terms. If people with disabilities are to access
their rights and responsibilities and participate in society as equal citizens, they must
have access to appropriate and affordable assistive devices.
Assistive devices can be divided into the following
categories. They may enhance: Mobility (17); Communication
(18); Daily living
(19).
Without access to these devices, people with disabilities
endure:
- prolonged periods of hospitalisation (as independence is not
promoted) and remain dependent for longer periods;
- continue to be accommodated in segregated 'special'
institutions where they are 'cared for', and
- continue to experience great difficulties in securing rights
to education, employment, etc.
The production, supply and maintenance of assistive devices
is presently uncoordinated. Imported devices are steeply taxed, making them very
expensive. Initiatives to develop appropriate and affordable assistive technology have, to
date, taken place in isolation from general technology development (i.e. they are aimed at
a 'special market'), with very little participation by consumers, or collaboration between
the various sectors and agencies.
With the assistance of modern technology, products should
be developed for use by people with a range of different disabilities. The aim should be
to reduce costs by producing for a larger market. This may require greater standardisation
of products.
Assistive device services are presently available from a
number of different sources. (20)
Barrier Free Access
Introduction
The way in which the environment is developed and organised
contributes, to a large extent, to the level of independence and equality that people with
disabilities enjoy.
There are a number of barriers in the environment which
prevent disabled people from enjoying equal opportunities with non-disabled people. For
example: structural barriers in the built environment;(21)
inaccessible service points;(22) inaccessible entrances
due to security systems;(23) poor town planning;(24) and poor interior design.(25)
The purpose of Section S of the National Buildings
Regulations, and its associated Code 0400 (26) includes
regulations setting out national requirements for an accessible built environment.
Although this was an important development in the equalisation of opportunities for people
with disabilities, these regulations have been extremely badly administered and monitored.
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Specific problem areas include:
- Planning professionals do not recognise the specific details
required in providing a barrier free environment.
- Development agencies do not have clear policies on
environmental access. The result is that hundreds of schools, clinics and other public
buildings are presently being built with no regard for barrier free requirements.
- Standards prescribed by the National Building Regulations
require review.
- No barrier free design norms have been incorporated in the
Public Sector Briefing Document.
- Specialist expertise in the field of barrier free access is
limited in South Africa.
Costs are often cited as the reason for the failure to
provide a barrier free environment. Yet, when accessibility is incorporated in the
original design, the additional cost does not generally exceed 0,2% of the overall cost of
development.
The National Environmental Accessibility Programme (NEAP)
was formed in 1993 by the various agencies working in the field of environmental
accessibility. It is a programme of action designed to ensure a barrier free environment -
including access to information and communication, especially for disabled people.
Policy Objectives
The policy objective is to create a barrier free society
that accommodates the diversity of needs, and enables the entire population to move around
the environment freely and unhindered.
Mechanisms
Mechanisms required to ensure that policy goals are met
include:
Inter-Sectoral Collaboration
Barrier-free access must cut across line functions.
(27) Collaboration with NEAP, as the most inclusive organisation
addressing the question of barrier-free access, is essential.
Personnel training
All relevant personnel in local government and in the
maintenance sections of the relevant departments, as well as all professionals involved in
the building industry, should complete an orientation course on barrier free access/design
to sensitise them towards the needs of people with disabilities.
Self Representation
People with disabilities experience problems arising from
the lack of barrier free access on an almost daily basis. It is, however, important to
ensure that advice is sought from the legitimate representatives of disabled people's
organisations to ensure that a representative and not a personal viewpoint is obtained.
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Transport
Introduction
There is a need for rapid progress in developing a public
transport system that is flexible and accessible. Without this, people with disabilities
will continue to remain largely 'invisible' and unable to contribute to, or benefit from,
the services and commercial activities available to most of their fellow citizens.
Given the fact that the ability to use services, or attend
school or work, is largely dependent on the ability of people to get there, the lack of
accessible transport is a serious barrier to the full integration into society of people
with disabilities.
Transport services for people with disabilities are
currently largely restricted to those who are either associated with a social service
agency (i.e. predominantly in the metropolitan areas), or those who are able and can
afford to drive modified private vehicles or employ the services of a chauffeur.
Accessible transport as a human right implies a departure
from the traditional medical/welfare model of providing trips primarily for medical
purposes. People with disabilities should be able to travel, regardless of the purpose of
the journey.
Policy objectives
The objective is to develop an accessible, affordable
multi-modal public transport system that will meet the needs of the largest numbers of
people at the lowest cost, while at the same time planning for those higher cost features
which are essential to disabled people with greater mobility needs.
Components
Components of the transport system include:
Road Transport
The White Paper on a National Transport Policy places the
main responsibility for identifying the needs of specific categories of passengers on the
respective metropolitan and local authorities.
Minibus taxis play a substantial role in the provision of
public transport, especially in rural areas. It is therefore essential that this sector be
fully integrated into the strategic plan for accessible transport. Such initiatives should
form part of the initiatives for the regulation of the taxi industry.(28)
A large proportion of the population use the bus services
as their chief mode of public transport. Policy makers tend to focus on wheelchair-lift
equipped buses when considering access. There are, however, a number of low-cost
accessible features that could be considered in the short term.(29)
Dial-a-ride services have proven particularly popular in
densely populated areas. The primary distinction between this service and existing
services operated by welfare organisations is that people are able to use the service for
any purpose, whether to work, school or for social reasons.
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Railway Services
In its quest to create an accessible commuter service,
Metrorail has initiated a pilot project aimed at designing accessible coaches and the
redesigning of certain train stations to make them more user-friendly for people with
disabilities.
Air Travel
Although the major airports have introduced extensive
upgrading projects to make their facilities more user-friendly, smaller provincial and
regional airports still remain extremely discriminatory against disabled commuters. This
is, in part, due to a lack of information on national guidelines and minimum standards and
norms.
The larger airlines have introduced personnel training
programmes to facilitate a more sensitive service from airline staff.
Mechanisms
Mechanisms to ensure that policy goals are met include:
Personnel Training
Personnel training has been identified as a key component
in providing a more user-friendly public transport system - not only for disabled
commuters, but also for the broader South African and tourist population. It is essential
that a disability awareness and orientation component for the transport industry is
developed and implemented.
Self Representation
Different disability groups have different public transport
needs. There are also differences in the needs of people living in rural and urban areas.
It is therefore essential that processes to develop accessible commuter systems include
participation by all stakeholders.
NEAP has representation from all these sub-groups and is
the most representative organisation addressing accessible public transport.
Communications
Introduction
Communications is an important aspect of access to public
services.(30) Access to communication, therefore, forms an
integral part of the equalisation of opportunities for people with communication
disabilities, such as Deaf people, people with speech disabilities and people with visual
disabilities
Components
Communication as it relates to disability has two major
components:
Message
The first is the manner in which the message is conveyed.
Harmful and negative attitudes are one of the biggest
barriers disabled people face when trying to access mainstream programmes. Negative
attitudes are reinforced every time disability is portrayed as a 'problem'; where disabled
people are regarded as being helpless and dependent, as sick, or as tragic victims.
Cultural beliefs play an important role in the way we
relate to people with disabilities, as do images and language.
Access
- Sign Language is the first and natural language of Deaf
people, whatever the spoken language of his or her hearing parents may be. Sign Language
is the central focus of Deaf people's human rights. It is important to note that Sign
Language is a language in its own right, with its own grammar and syntax. Sign Language
uses the modality of space, in contrast with the spoken language which uses the modality
of sound. There are several regional variations of Sign Language in South Africa.
- Special Language Systems/Augmentative and Alternative
Communication refer to any mode of communication used by people who can not use a spoken
or sign language. They include Braille, touch, Bliss symbols or other means of
communication.
- Interpreter services are linked closely to the communication
needs of Deaf people and people with limited or no speech.. These services enable them to
communicate freely with society, and are an essential element in the achievement of equal
opportunities for people with communication disabilities. They include both Sign Language
interpreters, lip speakers, note takers and communication facilitators.
Technology that will ensure inclusive use of public
amenities by all consumers is required.(31)
Policy Objectives
The policy objective is to develop strategies that will
provide people with communication disabilities with equal opportunities to access to
information, as well as public and private services.
Data Information and Research
Introduction
In order to decide how best to deal with poverty and
inequality in South Africa, we need to understand the exact size and dynamics of the
problem.
The report on Key Indicators for Poverty in South Africa
(October 1995) reports that South Africa's compilation of social indicators is one of the
worst in the world.
Since April 1994, the data and information sector has begun
moving away from researching the needs of the elite to poverty-focused research and data
collection that can be used to implement programmes to alleviate poverty and create
opportunities.
This has, unfortunately, not necessarily led to the
inclusion of data and information on people with disabilities. This is demonstrated by the
total exclusion of the relationship between disability and poverty in the report on Key
Indicators of Poverty in South Africa (1995).
It is important that all data gathering, research and
information dissemination reflects the fact that disability - its classification,
definition and measurement - necessarily encompasses biomedical aspects as well as social,
economic and political ones. Populations should not be conceived in terms of those who do
have a disability versus those who do not. Instead, the concept should be of a continuum
that covers the range of disabilities and degrees of disablement.
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Data Collection
Different line functions need different types of
information on disability to enable them to target their resources where they are most
needed. The lack of reliable information impacts severely on the planning and development
of services and intervention strategies aimed not only at preventing disability, but at
creating an enabling environment for the equalization of opportunities.
It is important to ensure that the information gathered is
relevant to inclusive development planning, and to initiate a process of gathering data on
social indicators and income inequality as it pertains people with disabilities.
The National Census of 1996, in conjunction with the annual
October Household Surveys, will provide the government with extensive information on the
status of living conditions in South Africa. Some NGOs have claimed that the inclusion of
a question on disability in the Census Questionnaire, however, runs the risk of leading to
undercounting due to the negative connotations and stigma attached to disability. It does
not, therefore, provide government with an accurate assessment of the difference in status
between disabled people and their non-disabled peers, making targeted intervention
virtually impossible.
Back-up house-to-house surveys conducted by people with
disabilities have proved to be the best complementary method of data collection.(32)
Research
There is presently no coordination or integration between
research on disability and research on gender, social development, human sciences and so
on. Disability-related research tends to focus predominantly on the health and/or social
welfare aspect of disability.
Research needs to overcome the person-centred approach
where, to understand performance problems, equal attention is given to person, physical
environment and machine environment. Attention must be given to the conceptualisation and
measurement of disability so that research can incorporate insights on the interplay
between people, resources and environment.
It needs to be acknowledged that the research process is as
important as the outcome (results) of the research, and that specific attention needs to
be given to both qualitative and participatory components in research methods to ensure
that the different dimensions of disability are appreciated.
Information
The ultimate responsibility for the dissemination of
information on the living conditions of people with disabilities lies with the Government.
It is the Government's responsibility to disseminate
information on disability throughout both political and administrative levels of the
national, provincial and local spheres.
People with disabilities should have access to full
information on personal health, education and social aspects affecting their lives.
All strategies and mechanisms developed to make information
accessible to citizens should be available in a format accessible to people with
disabilities.(33)
Policy Objectives
The following policy objectives are identified:
- There must be regular, appropriate data collection on the
living conditions of people with disabilities.
- Research should reflect the gaps between people's physical
or mental conditions and their resources/capacity (personal, economic, social), and the
environment (geographic, architectural, social, political) in which they live, work and
play.
- Disabled people should have full access to all information
that affects their lives.
Strategies
Strategies necessary for proper data collection and
research include:
- Data collection in conjunction with national censuses and
household surveys, undertaken in close collaboration with, amongst others, universities,
research institutes and DPOs.
- The facilitation of better coordination of
disability-focused research.
- The facilitation of access to disability-focused research by
the general research sector.
- The integration of disability-focused and general research
through the establishment of a forum where researchers and the disability sector can
exchange information related to disability and research.
- The development of a national database on existing research
aimed at identifying gaps.
- The development of national guidelines and minimum norms and
standards for disability related research.
- The development of national guidelines for the integration
of disability into general research.
- The facilitation of the publication of market relevant and
significant research findings.
- Networking with regional and international research
institutions.
Education
Introduction
A human rights and development approach to disability has
significant implications for the way in which we provide education for the nation.
Educationists tend to classify people with disabilities according to disability. Disabled
learners are then either placed in special schools or classes, or totally excluded from
any educational opportunity on the grounds that they are "too severely
disabled".
The limited capacity of special schools, particularly in
rural areas, has resulted in the majority of learners from these areas being excluded from
education opportunities altogether, as the environment in regular schools does not
facilitate integration.
It is estimated that almost 70% of children with
disabilities of school-going age are presently out of school. This naturally results in
illiteracy and low skills amongst adults with disabilities, contributing significantly to
high levels of unemployment.
Disabled children and their parents have very little or no
choice as to which option - mainstream or special school - they wish to access.
The first White Paper on Education and Training commits the
Government of National Unity to a unified education and training system which is
"committed to equal access, non-discrimination and redress". It also makes
provision for a National Commission on Special Needs in Education and Training (NCSNET)
and a National Task Team for Education Support Services (TTESS)
(34).
These bodies must make policy recommendations to government
on the inclusion of learners with special needs in education and training within a single
equitable education system. Their work will cover all levels of education.(35)
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Lifelong Learning
Education has traditionally concentrated on years spent at
school and, to a lesser degree, on tertiary education. Links with the world of work and
training have been weak. Changes in educational policy are of particular importance to the
future economic empowerment of people with disabilities.
Early childhood development and learning provides children
with disabilities with access to early intervention and socialisation opportunities from
an early age.
Outcomes based education will equip people with
disabilities with the skills necessary to access the job market.
People with disabilities seldom receive recognition for the
significant experiences they gain overcoming daily barriers in their environment. In
acknowledging a broader range qualifications and acquired knowledge, the National
Qualifications Framework will give people with disabilities better access to formal
education and the job market.
Special Needs in Education and Training
It is important to note that:
- Not all learners with disabilities have special needs in
education and training, as they do not experience learning break-down.
- Special needs in education exist both in ordinary centres of
learning (mainstream) and in specialised centres of learning.
- Special needs in education and training also exist outside
the classroom.
- Various stakeholders
(36)
play important roles in responding to special needs in education.
- Special needs in education include support in the form of:
life skills and independence training; assistive devices and specialised equipment; and
access to the curriculum.(37)
Policy Objectives
NCSNET and the NCESS (formerly TTESS) will work in close
collaboration in order to make recommendations on the transformation of the education
system as a whole, namely:
- to facilitate equal access to education - including
community initiatives - and equity in education provision at all levels;
- to develop a single education system that will cater for the
needs of all learners within an inclusive environment with various placement options;
- to facilitate capacity building for all stakeholders
(parents, teachers, students and planners);
- to facilitate earlier access to education for all learners,
but in particular for learners with special education needs;
- to facilitate effective and relevant research.
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Principles
All South Africans should have equal access to education
opportunities, irrespective of the severity of their disability(ies). Every learner has
unique interests, abilities and learning needs. Respect for diversity should thus be
promoted. All South Africans should:
- have access to the widest possible educational and social
opportunities;
- receive education and training in as normal an environment
as possible (38);
- be provided with the resources needed to realise their
highest potential.
Equity for learners with disabilities implies the
availability of additional support mechanisms (39) within
an inclusive learning environment.(40)
Target groups (41)
Urgent attention should be given to access to education at
all levels by black disabled persons. In particular:
- very young children with disabilities (pre-school);
- children with multiple/severe disabilities;
- the girl-child;
- hospitalised children;
- adults with disabilities;
- people living in remote rural settings.
Key Areas
Key action areas to achieve objectives include:
- The development of clear policy that includes all
stakeholders and which is understood and accepted at school level and by the wider
community.
- Curriculum development to ensure flexibility, addition and
adaptation according to the needs of individual learners, regardless of the category to
which they seem to belong.
- On-going pre-service and in-service teacher and support
teacher training.
- Parent empowerment programmes to encourage parent
involvement in assessment and decision-making concerning their children.
- Appropriate technology development in education and
training.
- The development of effective inter-sectoral collaborative
mechanisms at national, provincial and school level.
- The development a long term vision for teachers fluent in
Sign Language and Sign Language instruction in all centres of learning.
- Adequate and appropriate education support services to all
learners.
Components
Components to be included in the meeting of objectives
include:
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Early Childhood Development (ECD)
The majority of young children with disabilities within ECD
centres, especially children with intellectual disabilities, is presently accommodated in
informal community based day care centres run by parents of disabled children.
Early childhood development and stimulation within an
inclusive environment is the cornerstone for the development and successful outcome of an
integrated society.
All ECD provisioning should, therefore, be multi-sectoral,
community based and integrated to enable all young children to benefit from learning in an
environment that acknowledges and appreciates diversity.(42)
General and Further Education
Free compulsory education should apply to all children of
school-going age equally. Thus it should include children with disabilities, irrespective
of the nature of their disabilities.(43)
Where the general school system does not yet adequately
meet their educational needs, students with severe disabilities should have access to
special schools. Education in these schools should, however, always be aimed at preparing
students for education in the general education system as soon as advisable, and should
build and maintain close links with local communities.
Special attention should be given to vocational training in
all schools in order to equip learners with special needs.
Parents' rights and preferences must be taken into account
in the placement of learners with special education needs.(44)
Higher Education
Institutions of Higher Education are presently undergoing a
period of transformation. The National Commission on Higher Education identifies three
central features of the broad framework of transformation:
- increased participation in the system by a diverse range of
constituencies;
- increased co-operation and more partnerships between higher
education and other social actors and institutions;
- greater responsiveness to a wide range of social and
economic needs.
The implications of the above as they relate to the
inclusion of students with disabilities have not been clearly defined or researched. They
will receive attention by NCSNET and NCESS (formerly TTESS).
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Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET)
Access to ABET is the key to the economic liberation of
adults with disabilities. Yet present ABET policy guidelines make virtually no provision
for the special needs of adult learners with disabilities.(45)
Education Support Services (ESS)
ESS should be seen as an integral part of special education
needs with the purpose of providing a back-up or support service.
Every learner, irrespective of age or centre of learning,
should have access to ESS.
ESS involves the partnership and coordination of special
education needs in a continuum. It must involve professionals and other non-professionals
in assisting learners to derive maximum benefit from the curriculum through differentiated
(but not fragmented) education and training. (46)
Employment
Introduction
Unemployment remains a fundamental problem affecting the
majority of people with disabilities and their families. A number of initiatives have been
undertaken by the government since 1994 in an attempt to redress this dire situation in a
more affirmative and comprehensive manner.
The new Labour Relations Act has introduced important
changes in the area of employment practices. Some protection is provided for both
employees and job-seekers against unfair discrimination on the basis of their disability,
particularly in the areas of unfair dismissal and hiring practices.
The Code of Good Practice provides some guidance to
employers on the importance of not equating disability with ill health, and cautions
employers against dismissing people with disabilities on the basis of an incorrect
assessment of ill health if they have the necessary capacity to meet the inherent
requirements of the job.
The weakness of the Labour Relations Act lies, however, in
the fact that this provision is not enforceable, but rather provides employers and the
courts with guidelines for appropriate practice.
The extreme levels of inequality and ongoing discrimination
experienced by disabled people in the workplace suggest that the provisions of the LRA are
not, on their own, sufficient to remove discriminatory practices, nor to support the
creation of equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
Experiences in other countries have shown that it is
necessary to enact legislation expressly designed to remove barriers which lead to
discrimination against disabled people in the workplace.(47)
Such legislation should also provide mechanisms to ensure that disabled people enjoy equal
opportunities in the workplace. This should include, for example, affirmative action
programmes and processes to support diversity.
Policy objectives
The following policy objectives have been identified:
- The unemployment gap between non-disabled and disabled
job-seekers must be narrowed.
- Conditions must be created to broaden the range of
employment options for disabled people so as to provide them with real possibilities of
occupational choice.
- The vocational integration of people with disabilities must
be facilitated, whatever the origin, nature or degree of the disability(ies).
Strategies
The following strategies must be adopted in order to meet
policy objectives:
Occupational Choice
People with disabilities should be provided with a range of
employment opportunities aimed at meeting differing needs and offering real possibilities
for occupational choice.
Inter-sectoral Collaboration
The creation of employment opportunities for people with
disabilities will only come about if a number of Government Departments, as well as key
stakeholders in the NGO and private sector, work together. NEDLAC already represents an
inclusive and intersectoral economic forum, and should become more actively involved in
the facilitation of enabling policies and legislation.
The Department of Labour could play a leading role by
facilitating the participation of the Departments of Welfare, Education, Trade and
Industry, Transport, Public Service and Administration and Health, as well as the
involvement of organisations of disabled people and service-providing organisations
involved in policy development and monitoring.
Specific attention needs to be given to inter-sectoral
collaboration at provincial level, due to the fact that labour is a national competency
and most of the other departments are provincial competencies.
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Personnel Training
Specific attention needs to be given to personnel working
in personnel/recruitment units of Departments or agencies to ensure that they understand
the options available in the placement and promotion of disabled job-seekers and workers.
Components
The following components should be included:
Employment Equity in the Open Labour Market
Research undertaken in 1990 indicated that only 0,26% of
disabled people were employed in the open labour market.
Standards that must be observed in the realisation of the
creation of equity in employment and training opportunities for people with disabilities
include:
- The enactment of legislation that promotes a policy of
equitable employment levels for disabled workers in both the public and private sectors.
Components that could be included in an employment equity policy are:
- methods to determine the potential candidate pool of
disabled workers;
- targeting a percentage of positions at entry and higher
levels for disabled workers;
- targets for the employment of disabled workers in the
private sector;
- financial or tax incentives to organisations that attain
targeted employment levels of disabled workers;
- incentives to organisations and the private sector to train
and employ persons with multiple or severe disabilities;
- conditions whereby neither the employer nor the disabled
worker suffers undue financial disadvantage from an employment contract.
- 2 The promotion of policies that encourage the employment of
disabled women, especially women who are heads of families.
- 3 The promotion and implementation of policies and
programmes for disabled people which ensure equity in terms of employment benefits, status
and conditions. Positive measures could include:
- equitable provision of employment benefits;(48)
- equitable application of the Basic Conditions of Employment
Act;
- the application of these standard working conditions to
sheltered employment;
- the promotion of measures to protect disabled workers
against discriminatory practices during retrenchment.
- 4 The promotion of reasonable and equitable work
environments for disabled workers. Measures could include:
- incentives to encourage the accommodation of work stations
to facilitate the employment of disabled people - through the provision of assistive
devices, personal assistance, specialised and alternative technology, and equipment and
adjustments to the work environment;
- the use of vocational assessment techniques to facilitate
the matching of disabled job-seekers with job-related requirements;
- the listing of essential job requirements as a basis for
determining the suitability of disabled job-seekers;
- the use of incentives to encourage the provision of work
instruments, machine adaptations, documentation and tools in a format that is usable by
and equitably accommodates the needs of disabled workers;
- the promotion of alternative work arrangements and hours;
(49)
- the evaluation of the performance and productivity of
disabled employees on an equitably comparative basis with non-disabled employees.
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Small, Medium and Micro-Enterprises (SMMEs)
The creation of work opportunities for people with
disabilities through the development and maintenance of small, medium and
micro-enterprises should form a key component in a comprehensive employment strategy for
people with disabilities.
Despite the mushrooming of numerous self-help projects and
business development initiatives by disabled people and their organisations, this sector
has had virtually no access to financial assistance or technical support from the state,
the NGO community or the private SMME sector.
The lack of trainers skilled in training people with
specific needs (50), together with physically inaccessible
training facilities and public transport, have led to further exclusion of people with
disabilities from training opportunities.
The SMME White Paper identifies disabled entrepreneurs as a
target group for positive action. The Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency (NEPA) has, in
response, appointed a disabled person to assist with the development of targeted
assistance measures and the removal of barriers within the SMME sector for disabled
entrepreneurs.
Disabled people's organisations that engage in
income-generating activities provide invaluable experience, empowerment opportunities and
skills training for disabled individuals interested in entering the SMME sector. They
should be supported.
Vocational education and training (VET), adult basic
education and training (ABET), and vocational rehabilitation are key elements in the
successful engagement of people with disabilities in the SMME sector.
Sheltered Employment
Protective/sheltered employment includes:
sheltered/protective workshops, and protected work environments within ordinary places of
work
Employment opportunities within a sheltered environment
should be available to people who, because of their disability, are unable to obtain or
keep an ordinary job, whether supported or not.
A distinction should be drawn between vocational training
centres and sheltered employment. Sheltered employment should always aim to prepare
workers, as far as possible, for work in the open labour market.
Subsidies should be linked to mechanisms that will ensure:
- appropriate placement;
- the legal status of workers, types of work, working hours
and wages;
- the availability of medical, social and psychological
assistance to workers;
- special training and checks on workers' progress with a view
to their possible settlement in an ordinary working environment.
Whatever the nature of the protected/sheltered workshop,
all reasonable measures must be taken to ensure that:
- workers are involved in the management and administration of
the workshop;
- 2working conditions are fair and equitable and comply with
the provisions of the LRA and Basic Conditions of Employment Act;
- workers with disabilities receive satisfactory remuneration
in relation to the type of work performed and that this remuneration compares well with
wages in open industry;
- workers have adequate contractual status which takes into
account the need for personal assistance and facilitates a normal employer/employee
relationship as far as possible;
- workshops are linked as far as possible to mainstream
workplaces and are designed in such a way as to facilitate the passage from supported to
ordinary work.
Existing mainstream vocational training centres should be
made accessible to accommodate the specific physical, communication and learning needs of
people with disabilities. In this way people with disabilities can be prepared for and
find work opportunities in the open labour market. Support (both financial and training)
should be given to existing self-help groups which presently provide training of this
nature. Specific attention needs to be given to people living in rural areas.
Human Resource Development
Introduction
A basic prerequisite for development is the capacity of
society to use its own resources to sustain itself. Yet the majority of people with
disabilities find themselves in a state of underdevelopment due to past and present
discrimination in accessing opportunities.
Human resource development (HRD) is one of the key elements
that can be used to break the cycle of poverty and underdevelopment. The development of
human resources is central to the success of the employment policy recommendations.
Policy Objectives
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Developing Capacity
The development of the capacity of people with disabilities
to participate more effectively in:
- the economic development of their communities and the
country as a whole;
- governance, and
- the monitoring of the equalisation of opportunities for
people with disabilities within their local communities, and at provincial and national
level.
Opportunities to Qualify
The provision of opportunities for people with disabilities
to obtain the highest possible educational and vocational qualifications.
Components
Vocational Rehabilitation
Vocational rehabilitation is an essential component in a
national HRD strategy. Vocational rehabilitation includes vocational guidance, vocational
training and selective placement. Its focus should be the transformation of mainstream
vocational training services to provide more accessible and inclusive training for people
with disabilities. This should include the making available of the necessary support
services.
National Qualifications Framework (NQF)
The NQF is a mechanism aimed at introducing:
- A fair assessment system which measures achievements against
clearly stated standards.
- A dynamic and flexible system able to adapt quickly to new
developments in the labour market, workplace and in education and training.
- Ways to encourage more people to participate in further
education and training.
- Learning which is relevant and responsive to the needs of
the individual, the economy and society.
- Ways to promote access to learning.
- A variety of routes to qualifications.
- National quality assurance.
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National Training Initiative (NTI)
The National Training Initiative entails:
- The application of the NQF to all HRD programmes.
- The creation of governance structures to facilitate the
attainment of the objectives of the NTI through the restructured National Training Board
(NTB).
Strategies
Strategies that promote equitable vocational,
pre-employment and on-the-job training for people with disabilities in all sectors of the
economy could include:
Skills Development
The focus on skills development of people with disabilities
should be the deepening of their specialised capabilities so that they are able to access
incomes through formal sector jobs, through SMMEs or community projects. The aim should be
to promote continuous learning and adaptation to the constantly changing environment.
Adult Basic Education programmes should be linked with skills development.
People with disabilities need to be targeted for
'learnerships'.(51) This may require adjustments to the
built environment and the acquisition of specialised equipment and technology for training
and assessment. Rehabilitation workers can play an important role in facilitating the
accommodation of disabled people in 'learnerships' within the open labour market.
Inclusive Training ('Mainstreaming')
Pre-employment training strategies and programmes should
promote efforts to make mainstream vocational training, institutions and programmes
accessible to people with disabilities wherever possible. This should be achieved through
the provision of the necessary support services.
The widespread practice of referring people with
disabilities in search of training opportunities to welfare agencies and charitable
organisations for what is often substandard training (52)
should be discouraged. Personnel at these agencies should, rather, be contracted to serve
as advisers in ordinary vocational training centres.
'Reversed' integration should also be encouraged: that is,
non-disabled people in search of pre-employment training should be accommodated within
vocational rehabilitation centres.
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Training Standards
It is acknowledged that, in order to accommodate the
specific training needs of disabled trainees, standards of training modules, course
contents, trade tests and certification might differ slightly from standards applied in
the general vocational training system.
These deviations should, however, be integrated into the
NQF to ensure accessibility, compatibility and lifelong learning and training.
Positive Action
Disabled employees should be given the right to take part
in upgrading courses, training programmes on new technologies, and training on paid
educational leave on an equitable basis.(53)
Inter-Sectoral Collaboration
It is essential that an integrated system of Adult Basic
Education and Training be developed. In other words, ABET should form an integral
component of the training modules available at vocational training centres.
People with disabilities applying for or receiving income
maintenance or social security should be provided with market related pre-employment
training opportunities as a rule rather than an exception. They should not, however, be
penalised whilst in training by losing their social security benefits.
Mechanisms
ILO Conventions
A number of ILO Conventions and their accompanying
recommendations provide clear guidelines and options for the training of people with
disabilities. Relevant ILO Conventions include:
- Convention 142 and Recommendation 150 concerning Vocational
Guidance and Vocational Training in the Development of Human Resources;
- Convention 159 and Recommendation 168 concerning the
Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment of Disabled Persons.
The ratification and subsequent integration of these
conventions into employment and HRD legislation will facilitate definite and measurable
progress in the training, placement and employment of people with disabilities.
Personnel Training
Pre- and in-service programmes need to be developed for the
orientation and training of vocational instructors in disability-related matters. This
will include the development of training modules, materials and guidelines with the aim of
facilitating the equal status of disabled people in mainstream training.
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Disabled People's Organisations
Disabled people's organisations play a vital role in the
human resource development of people with disabilities. This is especially so amongst
people with limited access to formal education and living in rural or disadvantaged areas.
DPOs have proven effective in getting people out of their
homes and back rooms and into social groups that often embark on informal income
generation activities. This enables people to develop a sense of self-worth and equips
them with a wide range of skills and experiences.(54)
It is important that this development process be
strengthened and enhanced through:
- supporting and strengthening disabled people organisations;
- integrating disabled people's organisations into a human
resource development strategy.
Social Welfare and Community Development
Introduction
The social worker's office is a key access point to the
service-delivery system for a large percentage of people with disabilities. Unfortunately,
the fragmented nature of the service-delivery system often leads to a lack of effective
referral to other sectors. This means that the social welfare system has to deal with
education, employment, transport and housing related issues.
Changing the way people regard disability from a purely
health and welfare issue to a primarily human rights and development issue has significant
implications for the principles, objectives and goals of existing welfare services. It
implies that welfare services need to be designed to facilitate independence in society,
rather than dependence on welfare services.
Policy Objectives
The following policy objectives relate to social welfare
and community development. The need to:
- develop social welfare services that aim to integrate people
with disabilities within all activities in their communities;
- develop social welfare services which recognise the
differing specific needs of people with disabilities as one component of a range of
disability-related services;
- facilitate the reorientation and training of social welfare
workers. This should include the training of people with disabilities as service providers
in order to provide for more disability sensitive and integrated community development
processes.
Components
Components that need to be involved in social welfare
delivery include:
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Community Development
The majority of people with disabilities live in areas
which are regarded as the most underdeveloped and poverty-stricken in South Africa.
Community development acts as a tool to alleviate poverty by increasing the capacity of
people to influence their future. It is therefore a key component of any social welfare
system. Programmes and projects should be aimed at achieving physical and concrete changes
in a way that gives people greater capacity to choose and respond to these changes.
Community development initiatives should foster human
solidarity, social equity, self respect, respect for diversity and continuing activism.
Community development strategies should be based on the
following cornerstones:
- The support for and strengthening of disabled people
organisations.
- The participation of all sectors of society in all community
development initiatives, i.e. integrated community development processes.
Social Welfare Services
Social welfare services should include a range of
strategies designed to facilitate access by people with disabilities and parents of
disabled children to mechanisms which will enhance their ability to live independently.
Social welfare services include:
- Residential care services for people with severe
disabilities who, as a result of their disability, are in need of permanent specialised
care. This includes care for elderly people with disabilities. A move towards units that
are more open, smaller and based within the community should be encouraged. In this way,
residents can enjoy some degree of independence and privacy.
- Large institutions for people with severe disabilities. A
number of people with severe disabilities presently reside in large institutions run
either by subsidised welfare organisations, the private sector or the state. While these
institutions provide shelter and necessary care for people who would otherwise have
struggled to meet their needs, they present a number of significant problems. Conditions
in these institutions range considerably and, although all institutions are required to
meet minimum standards, some fall short of basic requirements and indeed violate human
rights principles. This situation has been allowed to continue for the following reasons:
- lack of affordable accommodation;
- inability of family members to provide continued care
without any community-based support services, resulting in rejection and 'dumping';
- inadequate and ineffective subsidisation and regulatory
systems;
- lack of representation on management structures by either
residents or their families or advocates.
- poor financial and managerial skills.
This places disabled residents in an extremely weak and vulnerable position, with little
recourse to change.
- Personal assistance services enable people with severe
disabilities to direct their own lives and to exercise their rights to choice and dignity
within their own homes: in other words, to be able to choose what to do, when to do it,
how to do it and with whom to do it.
Personal assistance services also contribute to the prevention of secondary ailments and
illness, and facilitate de-institutionalisation.
- Activity centres for disabled people, who, due to the
severity of their disabilities, are unable to engage in any meaningful economic activity.
Services should include a range of options which allow as independent a lifestyle as
possible; promote full potential and dignity, and facilitate the involvement of families
and communities in the provision of services.
Mechanisms
Mechanisms that should be involved in meeting policy
objectives include:
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NGO Sectoral Involvement
Disability specific organisations that provide a wide range
of services to people with disabilities have developed, with part-subsidisation from the
state, over many years. The majority of these organisations are affiliated to, or
programmes of, the five national welfare councils.
Most of these organisations are run by non-disabled
service-providers although, through a democratisation process in recent years, people with
disabilities are now represented in the management of welfare organisations.
Organisations of disabled people have also mushroomed since
1984. The majority are affiliated to Disabled People South Africa (DPSA). Decision-making
and control lies with disabled people themselves.
Although the main focus in DPOs is on community
development, a number of these organisations have initiated services, albeit without any
government support.(55)
The shift towards regarding disability as a predominantly
human rights and development issue requires a review of subsidisation criteria. In this
regard, there must be a particular focus on the recognition, strengthening and support of
DPOs.
Public Awareness
The Department of Welfare, through its community
development initiatives, is a key partner in increasing public awareness on disability as
a human rights and development issue.
Another component of public awareness is the availability
of information on social welfare services in a format accessible to all people with
disabilities.
Personnel Training
It is essential that social welfare service-providers are
equipped with the skills and attitudes necessary to provide services in an appropriate and
accountable manner.
This involves the development of training programmes to
re-train existing personnel, as well as new programmes to raise awareness and develop
appropriate attitudes. Service providers must also be trained to understand the paradigm
shift (to the Social Model) in social welfare and, most important, in disability.
Inter-Sectoral Collaboration
The development of effective welfare services and inclusive
community development strategies which enhance independence and create equal opportunities
can only be achieved if the strategies are pursued in collaboration with other line
function ministries. The Department of Welfare has played a vital role in fostering
intersectoral collaboration at national level by providing funding for the National
Coordinating Committee on Disability (NCCD).
Monitoring and Evaluation
Mechanisms to ensure effective monitoring and evaluation of
the impact and integration of services should be built into all welfare programmes. The
active participation of consumers of these programmes will depend on the provision of
resources and opportunities to contribute to policy development, planning and monitoring.
Social Security
Introduction
The present social security legislative framework, its
administration and allocation systems, tend to be discriminatory, punitive, insensitive to
the specific needs of people with disabilities, uncoordinated, inadequate and riddled with
high levels of fraud.
An equitable and just social security system that aims to
meet the basic needs of people with disabilities unable to support and maintain
themselves, should include:
- appropriate assessment mechanisms;
- 2accessible information and pay-out facilities;
- appropriately trained officials and administrative staff;
- effective feedback mechanisms, and
- a coordinated social security safety net.
Policy Objectives
- To provide for a coordinated and equitable system of social
security to meet basic needs and to develop capacity for independent living,
self-sufficiency and integration of people with disabilities into the mainstream of
society.
- To increase the supply of accessible information to
consumers on how to access benefits, criteria for qualification and the availability of
mechanisms to assist with problems which may arise.
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Components
State Grants and Pensions
Disability related state grants or pensions are:
- Disability grants for people over the age of 18 years.
- Special care grants for children with severe physical
(including sensory) and/or mental disabilities between the ages of 1 and 18 years.
The majority of people with disabilities living in South
Africa depend on social welfare grants for their survival. This places a large burden on
the social security system. Yet a break down of the 1994/5 disability grant allocations
according to race indicates that the number of black disabled people receiving grants is
far less than the actual number of people with disabilities qualifying for social
assistance.
In addition, the present maximum allowance for a disability
grant falls far short of the Household Subsistence Level calculated by the Institute for
Planning Research (UPE) in 1992. This means that the income of many disabled people and
their families falls far below the estimated subsistence level. This further emphasises
the need to link social security benefits with income generation strategies.
Problems that people with disabilities experience in
connection with the administration of grants include:
- Assessment criteria and procedures: the decision usually
lies with a single medical doctor, often ill-informed about the relationship between
disability and employment.
Applicants who are turned down do not have access to reasons for their unsuccessful
application and no effective and accessible appeal mechanism exists.
Definitions of disability vary and create confusion.
- Means test and other benefits: recipients of social security
grants lose all free housing and social benefits once they have additional income, even if
this still falls below the household subsistence level. This discourages people from
seeking employment or vocational training.
- Physical facilities: pension pay-out points are often based
in unsympathetic environments, especially in rural and disadvantaged areas. Factors such
as lack of shelter, inaccessible buildings, unsafe environments, long queues add to a
sense of dehumanisation and disempowerment.
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Workmen's Compensation
The Workmen's Compensation Fund compensates workers who are
disabled by accidents which happen at work. The benefits they receive seldom meet their
basic needs and usually do not compensate them for the loss of employment and poor future
employment prospects.
Approval of funds for disability related costs
(56) tends to be inconsistent and often reliant on the goodwill of
officials.
Road Accident Fund (RAF)
The MMF provides compensation to people who are disabled by
car accidents. The complicated processing procedures often result in the suffering or even
death of the disabled applicant whilst waiting for the finalisation of the claim. People
in rural areas, particularly, very seldom have access to legal assistance.
Mechanisms
Inter-Sectoral Collaboration
Effective and inclusive ways of facilitating intersectoral
collaboration between the various departments that administer social security legislation
should be developed. This is required to create a safety security net.
Personnel Training
The training of personnel involved in the administration of
social security benefits should include:
- raising awareness about the needs of people with
disabilities and parents of disabled children;
- improving the confidence and knowledge of officials to
provide assistance and advice, and
- implementing mechanisms to ensure effective and appropriate
service delivery.
Housing
Introduction
The majority of people with disabilities survive on a
disability grant and have very little hope of accessing independent housing. Existing
dwellings/housing and environments are often inaccessible due to poor design,
infrastructure and overcrowding. This often forces people with disabilities into
institutions against their wishes.
Housing schemes very seldom make provision for barrier-free
design which excludes people with disabilities from obtaining housing or visiting
relatives and friends.
The responsibility for capital expenditure for
institutional and residential housing has, in the past, rested predominantly on the NGO
and private sector.
Policy Objectives
To provide people with disabilities and their families with
safe shelter and dwellings of their own through equitable access to a range of options in
the housing subsidy scheme.
Components
[ Top ]
Institutional Housing
A number of people with severe disabilities presently
reside in large institutions run by either subsidised welfare organisations, the private
sector or the state. While these places often provide shelter and necessary care to people
who would otherwise have struggled to have their needs met, there are a number of
important problems associated with them.
Residential Facilities
Residential facilities provide group homes in residential
areas for small groups of 6-15 people, or farm-type communities for about 24-36 people
near small towns or cities.
These group homes or farm communities function as part of
the larger community and contribute in various ways towards the community by offering
employment or providing services to local people.(57)
Home Ownership
Like non-disabled people, disabled people with families
also wish to own their own homes. They have the same needs for privacy and dignity. Yet
the fact that the majority of disabled people survive on a social grant disqualifies them
from financial assistance through the banking institutions.
Similarly, people with disabilities often have additional
housing needs that add to cost.(58)
Sport and Recreation
Introduction
People with disabilities experience the same need for
sport, including competitive sport, and recreation as their non-disabled peers.
Sport is generally regarded as one of the vital components
in the integration of people with disabilities into society. It is also often a vital
component in the successful rehabilitation of people with disabilities.
Sport at school level is critical for the development of
physical qualities, as well as for the development of self-esteem, courage and endurance.
It is therefore vital that sport at school level - both within ordinary and special
schools - receives urgent attention.
Policy objectives
The policy objective is to develop and extend sporting
activities for people with disabilities in both mainstream and special facilities so that
they can participate in sport for both recreational and competitive purposes.
Mechanisms
Training of Trainers
The development of trainers/coaches familiar with sport for
disabled people is an essential component which needs to be urgently addressed. This
process should involve both familiarising existing coaches and trainers with aspects
relevant to the coaching of disabled athletes, as well as the training of trainers
specialising in sport for disabled athletes.
Physical Facilities
Existing public sport facilities tend to be largely
inaccessible. This includes changing rooms, lockers, showers, toilets and so on.
Community sport centres should be developed in consultation
with organisations of disabled people to ensure not only barrier-free access, but also
integrated universal design to allow both non-disabled and disabled athletes to use the
facilities simultaneously.
Public Education
The public-at-large, people with disabilities (especially
those living in rural areas), sponsors and sport administrators tend to be largely unaware
of the different forms of sport for disabled people. This aspect should be targeted in a
public education programme.
Sponsorship
Sport for disabled people should be 'mainstreamed' as far
as possible to increase sponsorship value. In other words, it should be promoted jointly
with mainstream events.
Coordination
There are two major umbrella bodies for sport for disabled
people in South Africa: the National Paralympic Committee of South Africa (NAPCOSA)
(physical and sensory disabilities); and the Special Olympics South Africa (intellectual
disabilities).
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Footnotes
1. The prevention of sports injuries is
an example.
2. As in otitis media, and sight
restoring interventions, e.g. cataract surgery.
3. For example, contracture.
4. In literature, for example,
disability is often linked to concepts of cruelty, ridicule and helplessness.
5. Thus, as regards disability, one may
move from a position of total ignorance to preliminary awareness of disability within the
community and, from there, to an attitude of concern. This concern may, however, be
expressed within a paternalistic and patronising framework (the Medical Model). The next
transitional stage may be the development of a sense of justice, of seeing people with
disabilities as citizens with equal rights (the Social Model).
6. e.g. Human Rights Day (21/03),
Freedom Day (27/04), Workers Day (01/05), Youth Day (16/06), National Women's Day (09/08),
and Day of Reconciliation (16/12).
7. As in the reproductive health
services.
8. Personnel and other rehabilitation
workers include, amongst others: therapists and community rehabilitation
facilitators/workers, orthotists and prosthetic surgeons , psychologists and
psychiatrists, social workers, parents and disabled people themselves, medical doctors and
nursing personnel, educationists, career guidance counsellors, community members,
community development workers, engineers.
9. For example, through day care
centres, vocational training centres and so on.
10. DPOs and parent organisations are
typically engaged in some of the following rehabilitation activities through the
establishment of day care centres, vocational workshops and advocacy projects:
identification of people with disabilities; basic assessment of people with disabilities
(especially children); referral of people with disabilities to the relevant resources;
health promotion and prevention; information dissemination; social rehabilitation (peer
counselling and support groups); assisting with maintenance of assistive devices;
encouraging participation in community activities (integration); vocational training of
persons with disabilities, and Sign Language and interpreter training.
11. For example, hospitals and clinics,
schools and vocational centres, institutions (e.g. residential centres for intellectually
disabled children and adults) and at home.
12. It includes, amongst other things:
screening, early identification and intervention services (e.g. at-risk babies), splinting
limbs to prevent contracture (e.g. burns), swallowing therapy (e.g. after a stroke),
muscle strengthening and retraining (e.g. after partial paralysis of a limb), learning how
to use an assistive device (e.g. transferring from a wheelchair, using a hearing-aid,
etc.), bowel and bladder rehabilitation.
13. Such as the reconstruction of
thought processes, improving concentration and memory, improving coordination, improving
interpersonal relationship skills.
14. It includes: identification of
learners with special education needs (screening and assessment); individual therapy at
special schools; support programmes and advice for teachers in regular centres of
learning; vocational training and career guidance; provision of specialised equipment and
appropriate technology within centres of learning that will enable learners with
disabilities to access the system.
15. Vocational rehabilitation services
include, amongst other things: vocational training, placement in the open labour market or
sheltered employment, vocational guidance services, adaptations to the workplace,
including the provision of specialised equipment and devices.
16. It includes amongst other things:
training in self care activities, including mobility, communication and daily living
skills (e.g. using ATMs at banks); adaptations in the home; sexuality counselling
(relationship and sexual counselling, family planning); peer counselling.
17. Including wheelchairs, crutches,
prostheses, walking frames, white canes, guide dogs, special seating support, audible
traffic signals.
18. These include braille frames and
machines, adapted computers, magnifying glasses, hearing aids, Sign Language interpreters,
TTY's, alternative and augmentative communications systems, information technology, cleft
palate plates, etc.
19. Liquid level indicators, kettle
tippers, adapted handles etc.
20. Commercial suppliers of specialised
equipment; commercial suppliers of regular products (e.g. hand free telephones);
provincial hospitals; organisations/individuals making one-off modifications or devices;
NGOs making devices available on temporary loan and coordinating the redistribution of
devices through banks (e.g. spectacles, hearing aids etc.); organisations making available
information and advice on appropriate devices.
21. For example, flights of stairs,
inaccessible toilets and bathrooms, high kerbstones, uneven pavements.
22. For example, bank/shop counters,
public telephones, ATMs.
23. For example, turnstiles,
microphone-loudspeaker systems etc.
24. For example, schools, clinics
positioned at the highest points in town, narrow pavement areas, lack of demarcated
special parking bays.
25. For example, fixed seats in
restaurants, clustered rooms.
26. Promulgated in 1986.
27. For example, public works (public
buildings, legislation and policy), health (clinics and hospitals), education (schools,
universities, technikons, colleges), tourism and environmental affairs (hotels,
environmental centres and tourist attractions), local government (town planning and
approval of building plans) and so on.
28. Key issues that need to be
addressed in order to optimise the use of taxis for disabled users include: service
quality, the retrofitting of a select number of vehicles to make them accessible,
insurance, driver training and financial viability.
29. These include, for example, the
painting of bright yellow strips on bus steps to aid people with low vision; installing
more grab bars/poles on buses for elderly/frail people to hold onto; providing sensitivity
training to drivers to assist in the transport of disabled users (such as calling out
stops for people with visual disabilities); welding on an adjustable first step to lower
the step height; reserving seats for elderly and disabled users
30. Be they schools, hospitals,
transport systems, police stations, emergency services, universities or the electoral
process.
31. For example, the use of Sign
Language and sub-titles on television, availability of documents in Braille and/or on
cassette, availability of communication boards for non-speaking people, assistive
listening devices and systems for Deaf people (such as TTYs, closed caption decoders).
32. Existing data bases include,
amongst others, Health Information Systems, including RHEMIS; Genetic Services;
Specialised Schools and Institutions, as well as the EMIS system; Department of Labour
(unemployed disabled job-seekers); NGO Directories (e.g. PRODDER, Bridge, SANGONET etc.);
child reference and information centres in metropolitan areas; disability NGO service
providers (e.g. Bureau for Prevention of Blindness).
33. For example, job advertisements,
community based multi-purpose centres, and so on.
34. The TTESS has been renamed the
National Committee for Educational Support Services or NCESS.
35. Early Childhood Development (ECD);
General Education (GE); Further Education (FE); Higher Education (HE); Adult Basic
Education and Training (ABET); Education Support Services (ESS).
36. For example, teachers, therapists,
psychologists, houseparents, parents and disabled activists.
37. Through, for example, Sign
Language, Braille instruction and adapted learning materials.
38. In the case of Deaf learners, the
Deaf community argues that this means a signing environment with free access to Sign
Language and Deaf culture. There is therefore a need for special education for Deaf
learners, catering for their unique language needs with Deaf adult role models, Deaf
peers, a signing environment, teachers fluent in Sign language and free access to Deaf
culture in school and residential facilities. The Deaf community views the full
integration of a Deaf child into a hearing classroom, even with the help of an
interpreter, as restrictive to the child.
39. For example, appropriate
technology, interpreter services/Sign Language instruction for Deaf learners.
40. For example, flexible curricula,
respect and understanding for diversity and human rights, equipped teachers, barrier-free
environment.
41. The Deaf community argues for a
special focus on the Deaf child from the age of 0 - 3 born of hearing parents.
42. The Deaf community argues that, in
the case of Deaf children, ECD and stimulation should include Sign Language instruction
and the training of parents in Sign Language to enhance parent-child communication,
relationships and education.
43. The Deaf Community argues that, in
most cases, compulsory education for children with disabilities should start at the age of
3 or 4 years to compensate for delays in language, cognitive, physical, emotional and
social development.
44. The Deaf community argues that the
rights of Deaf learners should also be protected. The parents' rights and preferences
should not be allowed to violate the Deaf learner's basic human right of free access to
his/her language and culture.
45. For example: adults with
communication disabilities experience particular difficulties in accessing regular ABET
programmes due to the failure to meet language needs of the Deaf and others with special
communication needs; adults with disabilities residing in institutions, or undergoing long
periods of hospitalisation have no access to ABET; adults with disabilities who have
attended special schools up to primary level in the past do not have access to further
education through adult bridging courses.
46. This support includes, amongst
other things: all education-related health services; assessment and placement services;
social work; vocational and general guidance and counselling, and other psychological
programmes and services.
47. For example, punitive health
requirements.
48. For example, unemployment
insurance, pension scheme membership, health insurance.
49. For example, part-time work,
flexi-hours, job-sharing and tele-work.
50. For example, Deaf people and people
with visual disabilities.
51. The Green Paper on a Skills
Development Strategy for Economic and Employment Growth in South Africa describes a
'learnership' as, "a mechanism to facilitate the linkage between structured learning
and work experience in order to obtain a registered qualification which signifies work
readiness."
52. I.e. not market related and not in
line with NQF standards.
53. This could also include advanced
independence training, such as for people with visual disabilities, or Sign Language
training for supervisors of Deaf workers.
54. For example, problem-solving,
planning, informal research, budgeting, vocational skills, business skills, basic
literacy, monitoring skills etc.
55. For example, peer counselling,
independence/life skills training, personal assistance, residential care services.
56. For example, assistive devices,
alterations needed at home, family counselling, etc.
57. For example, food production or
tuckshops.
58. For example, more space to move
around inside the home, with accessible entrances and path-ways for wheelchair users;
additional rooms for care-givers and personal assistants for people with severe physical
or intellectual disabilities; additional or adapted security systems for people with
sensory disabilities.
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Chapter Four
Legislation and Monitoring
Introduction
People with disabilities, like the majority of people in
this country during the apartheid era, were denied fundamental human rights. However,
people with disabilities as a group experience further discrimination on the basis of
their disability. Changing this means that society as a whole needs to change its
attitudes towards disabled people both at an individual and systemic level.
People with disabilities are marginalised and excluded from
many aspects of life. Under the new Constitution(1), people
with disabilities are entitled to substantive equality, which includes the right to
corrective (affirmative) action to overcome the effects of past discrimination.
Equality and dignity are enshrined in the Constitution.
However, the objectives enshrined in these principles must be met through the enactment of
legislation, the scrutiny and, where necessary, amendment of existing legislation and the
monitoring of constitutional and legislative provisions.
This work should be conducted in partnership with NGOs -
both in the disability and legal sector, the Human Rights Commission, the South African
Law Commission and other appropriate institutions and organisations.
Legislation
There is, at present, no coherent or comprehensive
legislation pertaining to people with disabilities and their rights.
One of the legacies of apartheid is an inheritance of many
pieces of fragmented legislation, much of which does not even cover the former TBVC
states. It has also not been possible to use the common law to promote the rights of
disabled people. This vacuum clearly needs to be filled by cohesive and integrated
legislation.
Legislation, if correctly administered, can be used to
promote the rights of people with disabilities. However, the enactment of law may not be
sufficient to ensure the realisation of rights. Thus, national institutions and mechanisms
have been established to promote and protect human rights. Legislation does however,
provide an important reference point for redress and offers enforceable support.
[ Top ]
Policy Objectives
Legislation, whether it is stand-alone or whether it forms
part of other legislation, must be based on the principles enshrined in the Constitution.
It must ensure equality, nondiscrimination and protection for people with disabilities.
Existing legislation must be scrutinised for compliance with the constitutional
principles.
Legislation must also take into account the present and
future legislative environment of the disabled population. Anti-discrimination and other
relevant legislation should take into account the requirements of the disabled sector.
The development of anti-discriminatory legislation must be
two-pronged in its approach. First, it must seek to address past inequalities by means of
equalising opportunities, while controlling any tendency towards further discrimination.
At the same time, it must champion the principles of the Constitution and other
international human rights instruments.
Hence, all new and amended legislation should not only aim
at ending discrimination faced by many disabled people, but should also promote the
fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution.
The application of legislation should be vertical and
horizontal (in other words, it should apply between state and citizen and between citizen
and citizen). It should cover the diversity of people with disabilities, and also
acknowledge service providers to this sector.
Mechanisms
All legislation should be framed within the context of the
agreed policy objectives relating to disability. In line with these objectives, it should:
- involve the disabled sector in discussions with regard to
proposed legislation, and
- seek intersectoral cooperation amongst all public and
private sector stakeholders.
Monitoring
Monitoring is an essential element in the upholding of
human rights generally. Monitoring can be used as a corrective tool against the violated
rights of disabled persons. It can also be used to measure trends and patterns of
discrimination on the grounds of disability, both at an individual and systemic level.
The act of monitoring primarily investigates and records
the violation of people's rights. The process itself often provides the impetus for
addressing disability. Monitoring can also be used as an educative tool, to create
awareness.
Policy Objectives
The objective is to establish a system of monitoring at all
levels, in the private, as well as all spheres of government in the public sector. It must
be horizontal and vertical (between government and citizens, and between citizen and
citizen).
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Scope
Monitoring should encompass the full environment. However,
particular groups should be targeted. These include:
- Women and girls with, particularly, intellectual
disabilities; (2)
- Disabled elderly people;
- Disabled women and rural disabled persons in the workplace;
- Abused children in institutes for disabled children;
- Parents with disabled children;
- Disability groups with specific needs.
Mechanisms
Formal monitoring must be guided by key performance
indicators. It must, in other words, be measured so that results can be assessed.
Monitoring must be done in interaction and collaboration
with international agencies which have set norms.
Monitoring must include a systematic review of all national
laws and policies.
Effective Monitoring
For monitoring to be effective, it requires:
- Gathering, coordination and collation of findings;
- Findings made available to civil society in an accessible
and understandable format;
- Participation by disabled people in decision making,
planning and evaluation at all levels. In other words, disabled people must collaborate in
the monitoring. All stakeholders and consumers must be partners in the process;
- The act of reporting must be simple and sensitive to persons
reporting violations;
- The monitoring agency should establish close links with
people engaged in monitoring at community level.
The role of the South African Human Rights Commission
(SAHRC)
The SAHRC, in terms of its mandate, is the body responsible
for the monitoring of human rights violations in South Africa.
The South African Federal Council on Disability will work
with the SAHRC and other bodies(3) to monitor the
equalisation of opportunities for people with disabilities, including human rights
violations.
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Footnotes
1. People with disabilities are
Constitutionally protected in terms clause 8(1) of the Bill of Rights.
2. Research has shown that this group is
particularly vulnerable to sexual and physical abuse.
3. See Appendix A.
Chapter Five
Progress to Date
Office on the Status of Disabled Persons, Office of the
Deputy President
An Office on the Status of Disabled Persons was established
as a directorate in the Office of the Deputy President in June 1997.
The Office, which previously existed as a Disability Unit,
is responsible for policy development, and will undertake the overall coordination of the
Integrated
National Disability Programme It will, in addition, undertake certain specific duties
as recommended in this document.
Some other government and para-statal initiatives
include:
Commission on Gender Equality
An important first step has been taken in highlighting and
redressing the problems faced by women with disabilities through the inclusion of a
disabled woman on the Commission on Gender Equality.
Department of Health: Rehabilitation Policy
The Department of Health has established a Technical
Committee on Rehabilitation Policy whose purpose is to work with all interested parties to
develop a comprehensive policy on rehabilitation.
Department of Housing: Summit on Housing and People with
Disabilities
The Department of Housing organised a Summit in May 1997
with a special focus on housing as it affects people with disabilities.
Department of Labour: New Employment Services Division
The Department of Labour is in the process of restructuring
traditional career guidance and placement services into a more coordinated New Employment
Services Division. One of its many functions is to assist, among others, people with
disabilities to acquire the basic capabilities required to take advantage of other support
services: for example, to equip people with disabilities with interview skills, job search
skills, time management, communication skills, etc.
Department of Transport: Pilot Study
The Department of Transport has agreed to commission a
pilot study on the inclusion of people with disabilities in the public transport system.
Department of Education: National Commission on Special
Needs in Education and Training
The National Commission on Special Needs in Education and
Training (NCSNET) and the National Committee on Education Support Services (NCESS) will
report to the Minister of Education on 1 October 1997.
The reports are expected to provide more detailed
recommendations for the transformation of the education system to accommodate learners
with special education needs (into which category learners with disabilities fall) more
effectively.
Government Departments: Funding Allocations
The successful integration of people with disabilities in
the mainstream of society is dependent on the optimal rehabilitation of people with
disabilities. This, in its turn, requires a multi-disciplinary approach in government. It
is noted that very few departments make provision for specific disability related
programmes. Those which do include the Departments of Health, Welfare and Population
Development, Education, Labour, Environmental Affairs and Tourism, and Public Works.(1)
Premier's Office, Mpumalanga
The Premier of Mpumalanga has established a Disability
Programme whose functions include the advising of the various provincial departments on
the implementation of the Integrated National Disability Strategy.
National Plan of Action for Children in South Africa
The National Plan of Action for Children in South Africa
(NPA) has identified children with disabilities as a particularly vulnerable group. In
addition to developing inclusive programmes aimed at and protecting the rights of all
children, the NPA is in the process of developing specially targeted programmes for
disabled children.
National Youth Commission
The Government has taken the important step of facilitating
the development of disability sensitive youth strategies and programmes through the
appointment of a disabled youth commissioner on the National Youth Commission.
People with Mental and/or Intellectual Disabilities
The Declaration of Rights for Persons affected by Mental
Handicap (adopted at the Africa Now Conference in 1996), and the United Nations Principles
for the Protection of People with Mental Illness and for the Promotion of Mental Health
Care provide clear guidelines for the protection and promotion of the human rights of
people with mental and/or intellectual disabilities.
South African Broadcasting Corporation
Parliament has appointed a person representing the
disability sector to the SABC Board.
The South African Human Rights Commission
The South African Humans Rights Commission has proposed a
special unit to monitor
human rights violations against people with disabilities. A
disabled commissioner is appointed to the Commission.
South African Qualifications Authority
The South African Qualifications Authority includes a
representative from the South African Federal Council on Disability.
Task Group on Government Communications (COMTASK)
(2)
The Report of the Task Group on Government Communications
makes recommendations on the recognition of the communication needs of people with
disabilities and proposes mechanisms to ensure that government communication is inclusive
of people with hearing and visual disabilities.
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Footnotes
1. Departments that need to include
disability related programmes in their functions are the Departments of Arts, Culture,
Science and Technology, Housing, Sport and Recreation, Justice, Public Service and
Administration, Trade and Industry, Communications, Transport and Provincial Affairs and
Constitutional Development.
2. These recommendations were accepted
by Cabinet and, following acceptance of an implementation plan submitted to Cabinet in
October 1997, the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) will begin work
in early 1998.
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Chapter Six
Recommendations
Recommendation 1
Prevention
It is recommended that the Department of Health, in
consultation with other relevant departments and the South African Federal Council on
Disability (SAFCD), facilitate the development of a National Inter-Sectoral Disability
Prevention Strategy that will set national norms and minimum standards for the
prevention of disabilities. Aspects that should receive attention are:
- a coordinated referral system and network, including the
development of screening procedures and record keeping, the reporting of disability
resulting from injuries or accidents and the development of a data base;
- inclusion of training programmes;
- key performance indicators to determine (measure) the
effectiveness of disability prevention programmes;
- national norms and standards for focused and participatory
research in disability prevention, and
- the development of clear inter-sectoral mechanisms.
Recommendation 2a
Public Education and Awareness Raising
It is recommended that the Office on the Status of Disabled
Persons, Office of the Deputy President, in consultation with the South African Human
Rights Commission (SAHRC), the South African Federal Council on Disability (SAFCD) and
other stakeholders, should develop a medium and long term disability awareness strategy
that will include, amongst other things:
- national guidelines for the use of disability sensitive
terminology and uniform disability related definitions;
- highlighting the role of both the public and private media
(e.g. SABC, community radio stations, print media, etc.) and the IBA in raising awareness
of disability as a human rights and development issue, and
- criteria for the development of sectoral disability
awareness projects.
Recommendation 2b
Public Education and Awareness Raising
It is recommended that every government line function, in
consultation with the Office on the Status of Disabled Persons, Office of the Deputy
President, and the South African Federal Council on Disability (SAFCD), facilitate the
development of a disability public awareness programme relevant to its own area of
responsibility.
Recommendation 3
Health Care
It is recommended that the Department of Health, in
consultation with the South African Federal Council on Disability (SAFCD), work towards
the inclusion of disability as a priority in the National Health Plan for Universal Access
to Primary Health Care, the White Paper on Health and the proposed Health Act.
Recommendation 4a
Rehabilitation: Services
It is recommended that the Office on the Status of Disabled
Persons, Office of the Deputy President, in consultation with the Departments of Health,
Welfare, Education, Labour, Justice and Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, the South
African Federal Council on Disability (SAFCD), the Council for Scientific and Industrial
Research (CSIR), South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) and other stakeholders,
facilitate a process to:
- develop a national rehabilitation policy that sets national
guidelines for inter-sectoral responsibilities and co-ordination of rehabilitation
services in South Africa (short term), and
- investigate the feasibility of developing a Disability
Services Act for South Africa.
Recommendation 4b
Rehabilitation: Health
It is recommended that the Department of Health, in
consultation with the Departments of Education and Welfare, the South African Federal
Council on Disability (SAFCD), universities and professional associations, work together
to develop:
- national policy guidelines and minimum norms and standards
for the early detection of disabilities. This could take the form of a comprehensive
integrated early identification policy so that children with, for example, communication
disabilities could be referred to appropriate rehabilitation programmes for communication
training.
- rehabilitation within the health services - including the
reorientation of rehabilitation and health personnel to help them to develop an
understanding of the implications of the social model of disability, and the development
of community rehabilitation worker training and post structures, and
- national norms and standards for the provision of
appropriate psychological rehabilitation services in South Africa.
Recommendation 4c
Rehabilitation: Education
It is recommended that the Department of Education, in
consultation with the South African Federal Council on Disability (SAFCD), universities
and other stakeholders, work together to develop national policy guidelines and minimum
norms and standards for the provision of educational rehabilitation services.
This should include the reorientation of rehabilitation
personnel to work within regular schools as a resource to teachers and the provision of
career guidance and vocational skills training programmes.
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Recommendation 4d
Rehabilitation: Labour
It is recommended that the Department of Labour:
- consult with the Department of Foreign Affairs, the National
Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC), the South African Federal Council on
Disability (SAFCD) and other stakeholders with a view to achieving the ratification of the
ILO Convention on Vocational Rehabilitation (159 of 1983);
- consult with the South African Federal Council on Disability
(SAFCD), the National Training Board, the National Economic Development and Labour Council
(NEDLAC), the South African Association for Vocational Rehabilitation and Training and
other stakeholders with a view to developing national policy guidelines and minimum norms
and standards for the provision of vocational education and training services that will
equip disabled job seekers to access employment opportunities.
This should include, amongst other things, the
transformation of existing sheltered factories and NGO/DPO workshops into vocational
training centres, and the deployment of rehabilitation workers in regular subsidised
vocational training centres.
Recommendation 4e
Rehabilitation: Welfare
It is recommended that the Department of Welfare and
Population Development facilitate a process for the development of national guidelines and
minimum norms and standards for accessible social rehabilitation services in consultation
with the Department of Health, the South African Federal Council on Disability (SAFCD) and
other stakeholders.
Recommendation 4f
Rehabilitation: Technology
It is recommended that the Office on the Status of Disabled
Persons, Office of the Deputy President, in consultation with, amongst others, the
Departments of Health, Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, the Council for Scientific
and Industrial Research (CSIR), the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS)and the South
African Federal Council on Disability (SAFCD), the private sector and other stake holders,
and with the assistance of international agencies, facilitate:
- the development of a national strategy and programme of
action for the integrated development of appropriate rehabilitation technology, and
- the development of national guidelines and minimum norms and
standards for the provision and maintenance of appropriate and affordable assistive
devices.
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Recommendation 4g
Rehabilitation: Assistive Devices
It is recommended that the Office on the Status of Disabled
Persons, Office of the Deputy President, enter into discussions with the Department of
Defence, Denel, the Swedish Development Agency and the various international players in
the alternative technology field with a view to:
- discussing the feasibility of alternative technology
applications within the arms industry, and
- facilitating the manufacture of wheel chairs and other
assistive devices in South Africa.
Recommendation 5a
Barrier-Free Access: Guidelines
It is recommended that the Department of Public Works, in
consultation with the National Environmental Accessibility Programme (NEAP) and other
stakeholders, develop national guidelines and minimum norms and standards with regard to
barrier-free access, including:
a the inclusion of barrier-free design norms and standards
in the Public Sector Briefing document;
b barrier-free design of all buildings leased by the
department, including the development of a barrier-free clause for all lease agreements;
c the possible introduction of tax incentives to owners of
existing private sector buildings that require upgrading, and
d the development of a broad spectrum of barrier-free
design expertise within the department at national, provincial and local level.
Recommendation 5b
Barrier-Free Access: Legislation
It is recommended that the Department of Public Works, in
consultation with the Department of Constitutional Development and Provincial Affairs, the
Department of Justice, National Environmental Accessibility Programme (NEAP) and the South
African Bureau of Standards (SABS), facilitate a process for the:
- review of existing barrier-free access legislation;
- effective implementation and administration of existing and
new legislation, especially at local government level, and
- development of appropriate and effective monitoring
mechanisms, especially at local level.
Recommendation 5c
Barrier-Free Access: Training
It is recommended that the Department of Public Works, in
consultation with professional bodies in the design and construction industries,
universities and other relevant tertiary institutions and National Environmental
Accessibility Programme (NEAP), facilitate a process for the development of:
- appropriate curricula and updating of handbooks focusing on
integrated and barrier-free design as a part of the professional training of architects,
town planners and engineers, and
- adequate supplementary training for professionals and
workers.
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Recommendation 5d
Barrier-Free Access: National Building Regulations
It is recommended that the Office on the Status of Disabled
Persons, Office of the Deputy President, in consultation with the National Environmental
Accessibility Programme (NEAP):
- commission an investigation of National Building
Regulations, with particular reference to Section 5 relating to barrier-free access, and
- propose measures for the tightening of regulations and/or
their implementation.
Recommendation 5e
Barrier-Free Access: Tourism
It is recommended that the Department of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism, in consultation with the National Environmental Accessibility
Programme (NEAP) and the South African Tourist Organisation (SATOUR), develop national
norms and standards as well as monitoring mechanisms to ensure barrier-free access in the
tourism industry.
Recommendation 6a
Transport
It is recommended that the Department of Transport, in
consultation with NEAP and other relevant stakeholders, facilitate a process for the
development of a national strategic plan for the promotion of accessible public transport
in South Africa.
The following aspects should be included
- inclusion of enabling mechanisms in the National Transport
Policy;
- the development of enabling legislation;
- the development of national guidelines and minimum norms and
standards for access in airport buildings (including equipment and communication access),
training of personnel in the transport industry, etc., and
- the development of public transport pilot projects in both
rural and urban centres, e.g. taxi subsidies, dial-a-ride, training of transport
personnel.
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Recommendation 6b
Transport
It is recommended that the Office on the Status of Disabled
Persons, Office of the Deputy President, initiate discussions with the Department of
Finance and the Department of Transport regarding the possibility of tax incentives for
the importation and local manufacturing of wheelchair lifts for buses.
Recommendation 6c
Transport: Motor Vehicle Accident Fund
It is recommended that the Department of Transport, in
consultation with the Departments of Welfare and Health, the South African Federal Council
on Disability (SAFCD) and other relevant stakeholders, review the Road Accident Fund
(RAF).
Recommendation 7a
Communications: Sign language Development
It is recommended that the Department of Arts, Culture,
Science and Technology, in consultation with the Pan South African Language Board,
Langtag, the Deaf Federation of South Africa (DEAFSA) and other stakeholders, facilitate a
process for the development of a national strategy and programme of action for the
establishment of:
- a central pool of Sign Language interpreters nationally and
provincially;
- national and provincial Sign Language Pilot Training and
Development Units, and
- the inclusion of special language systems and Sign Language
interpreters in the national guidelines and minimum norms and standards for language
facilitation services, training courses (including qualifications and accreditation) for
interpreters and communication facilitators.
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Recommendation 7b
Communications: Technology
It is recommended that the Department of Arts, Culture,
Science and Technology, in consultation with the South African National Council for the
Blind (SANCB), the SA Speech, Language and Hearing Association (SASLHA), the Centre for
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC), the Departments of Education and
Labour, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the South African
Bureau of Standards (SABS), facilitate a process for the development of a programme for
the support, coordination and development of infrastructure for alternative language
systems.
Recommendation 7c
Communications: Elections
It is recommended that the Independent Electoral Commission
and the Department of Home Affairs, in consultation with the Department of Constitutional
Affairs, provincial governments, and the disability sector, facilitate a process to
develop national guidelines and minimum standards for communication during national,
provincial and local government elections.
Recommendation 7d
Communications: Access to Information
It is recommended that the Office on the Status of Disabled
Persons, Office of the Office of the Deputy President, in consultation with the Government
Communication and Information System (GCIS), communication divisions within all line
functions, the Deaf Federation of South Africa (DEAFSA), the South African National
Council for the Blind (SANCB), Disabled People South Africa (DPSA) and the public and
private media, facilitate a process for the development of a comprehensive access to
information policy.
Recommendation 8a
Data, Information and Research: Data Bank
It is recommended that the Office on the Status of Disabled
Persons, Office of the Deputy President, in consultation with the Central Statistical
Services, the Department of Finance, other relevant national line functions, the South
African Disability Institute (SADI) and other stakeholders, initiate a national data bank
on disability, which would include:
- a statistics on available services and programmes as well as
on the different groups of people with disabilities, and
- b the development of appropriate terminology and criteria
for the conduct of surveys.
Recommendation 8b
Data, Information and Research: Research
It is recommended that the Office on the Status of Disabled
Persons, Office of the Deputy President, in consultation with the Human Sciences Research
Council (HSRC) South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), the South African Disability
Institute and other research agencies, universities and the South African Federal Council
on Disability (SAFCD), facilitate the development of national guidelines and minimum
standards for inclusive research on social, economic and participation issues that affect
the lives of people with disabilities and their families.
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Recommendation 8c
Data, Information and Research: Information Service
It is recommended that the Office on the Status of Disabled
Persons, Office of the Deputy President, in consultation with relevant line functions, the
provincial disability desks in the Offices of the Premiers, South African Federal Council
on Disability (SAFCD) (Disabled People Information Service Project), the Council for
Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and other stakeholders, facilitate the
establishment of an accessible and integrated national information service on disability
services, programmes, and paralegal assistance.
Recommendation 9a
Education: Early Childhood
It is recommended that the Department of Education, in
consultation with the departments of Health and Welfare, the Disabled Children Action
Group (DICAG), the Early Childhood Education (ECD) sector and other stakeholders,
facilitate a process that will integrate the special needs of young children with
disabilities within both the formal and informal Early Childhood Education sector. This
should include:
- co-option of representatives of parents of children with
disabilities onto all existing ECD policy-making structures at all levels;
- the development of policy that will clearly highlight the
respective responsibilities of all stakeholders, i.e. relevant government departments,
local governments, NGOs, parents organisations, the private sector and relevant others;
- the development of inclusive curricula and accreditation
policies for ECD practitioners, and
- the incorporation of informal community based day care
centres into the formal ECD sector.
Recommendation 9b
Education: Sign Language
It is recommended that the Department of Education, in
consultation with the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, the Deaf
Federation of South Africa (DEAFSA) and other stakeholders, facilitate a process for the
development of a comprehensive education policy to promote and protect equal education
opportunities for children with communication disabilities and to protect their language
medium.
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Recommendation 9c
Education: Access to Centres of Learning
It is recommended that the Department of Education, in
consultation with National Environmental Accessibility Programme (NEAP) and other
stakeholders, facilitate a process to develop national norms and minimum standards for the
design and construction of accessible new education centres, as well as for the renovation
of existing education centres. This should include the co-option of a representative from
NEAP to the Standing Committee on Space and Cost Norms for Education Buildings, a
substructure of the Education Heads of Departments Committee.
Recommendation 9d
Education: General and Further
It is recommended that the Department of Education, in
consultation with the Departments of Labour, Health and Welfare, the South African Federal
Council on Disability (SAFCD), teacher unions and other stakeholders, facilitate a process
that will transform the education system to accommodate effectively the special education
needs of learners with disabilities within the school system.
This will include, amongst other things, the development
of:
- national guidelines for institutional and curriculum
development;
- national guidelines and minimum norms and standards for the
training and development of educators, service-providers, managers and administrators, as
well as the development of community resources;
- national guidelines for a responsive organisational
structure, funding of schools, governance of schools, etc.;
- national norms and standards for vocational education and
training that will meet the needs of learners with disabilities within an inclusive
environment;
- effective monitoring mechanisms to eliminate discrimination
in schools, and
- a five-year plan for the implementation of the South African
Schools Act as it affects learners with special needs in education and training.
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Recommendation 9e
Education: Higher
It is recommended that the Department of Education, in
consultation with the councils of technikon and university principals, the South African
Federal Council on Disability (SAFCD) and other stakeholders, facilitate a process to
develop inclusive strategies that will:
- remove all discriminatory practices and barriers in
admission policies, examination procedures, decision-making processes, etc.;
- place at the centre of the transformation debate the need to
create an inclusive environment that caters for the diverse needs of all students. This
should be done through the development and implementation of national norms and minimum
standards for barrier-free design, access to communication support, appropriate
technology, etc., and
- facilitate representation by students with disabilities as a
distinct constituency on all forums and governance structures.
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Recommendation 9f
Education: Adult Education and Training
It is recommended that the Department of Education, in
consultation with the Departments of Labour and Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, the
Deaf Federation of South Africa (DEAFSA), the South African National Council for the Blind
(SANCB), Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC), the National
Literacy Co-operative (NLC) and other stakeholders, facilitate a process to develop
national guidelines and minimum norms and standards for the inclusion of adult learners
with disabilities in Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) provisioning by:
- co-opting adult learners with disabilities onto all bodies
responsible for the development of national norms and minimum standards in adult education
and training (e.g. ABET forums, SAQA, NQF forums etc.), and
- giving specific attention to the accessibility of adult
centres within an integrated environment, flexible curricula, appropriate material
development and access to appropriate technology.
Recommendation 9g
Education: Support Services
It is recommended that the Department of Education, in
consultation with the Departments of Health, Welfare and Labour, the South African Federal
Council on Disability (SAFCD) and other relevant stakeholders, facilitate the development
of national guidelines and minimum norms and standards for the effective provision of
education support services that will meet the needs of all learners, including learners
with disabilities.
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Recommendation 10a
Employment: Legislation
It is recommended that the Department of Labour, in
consultation with relevant government departments, the South African Federal Council on
Disability (SAFCD), National Economic Development Labour Council (NEDLAC), trade unions
and other stakeholders, facilitate the development and implementation of enabling
legislation on employment equity that will protect disabled job-seekers and workers
against unfair discrimination, and promote an inclusive work environment that accommodates
diversity.
Recommendation 10b
Employment: Small, Micro and Medium Enterprises
It is recommended that the Department of Trade and
Industry, in consultation with the departments of Health, Welfare and Labour, the South
African Federal Council on Disability (SAFCD), Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency (NEPA),
National Small Business Council (NSBC) and other stakeholders, develop comprehensive and
inter-sectoral strategies and national guidelines for the removal of barriers and
implementation of enabling and inclusive mechanisms within existing and proposed SMME
infrastructure.
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Recommendation 10c
Employment: Sheltered and Vocational
It is recommended that the Department of Labour, in
consultation with the Departments of Welfare and Health, the South African Federal Council
on Disability (SAFCD), trade unions and other stakeholders, develop national guidelines
and minimum norms and standards for the subsidisation of:
- sheltered workshops/units within the ordinary work
environment;
- adaptations and support mechanisms in existing vocational
training centres to make them more inclusive and responsive to the needs of people with
disabilities, and
- disabled people's organisations engaging in sheltered
employment and/or vocational training.
Recommendation 11a
Human Resources Development: ILO Conventions
It is recommended that the Department of Labour, in
consultation with the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Office on the Status of Disabled
Persons, Office of the Deputy President, the South African Federal Council on Disability
(SAFCD), National Economic Development Labour Council (NEDLAC), the National Training
Board and other stakeholders, facilitate the urgent ratification of ILO Conventions 142
and 159, including the development of a national programme of action for vocational
guidance, training and rehabilitation of people with disabilities.
Recommendation 11b
Human Resources Development: Vocational Training Centres
It is recommended that the Department of Labour, in
consultation with the Departments of Welfare, Education and Health, the South African
Federal Council on Disability (SAFCD) and other stakeholders, develop national guidelines
for the subsidisation of adaptations (barrier-free access, work area nrganisation), and
support mechanisms (trained instructors, Sign Language interpreters, etc) in existing
vocational training centres to make them more responsive to the needs of people with
disabilities.
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Recommendation 11c
Human Resources Development: Training
It is recommended that the National Training Board, in
consultation with the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), the Departments of
Labour and Education, the South African Federal Council on Disability (SAFCD) and other
stakeholders, facilitate the integration of national norms and standards for the training,
testing and certification of people with disabilities (where these might differ slightly
from standards applied in the general vocational training system) into the National
Qualifications Framework and Industry Training Boards.
Recommendation 12a
Social Welfare and Community Development: Subsidisation
of Disabled People's Organisations
It is recommended that the Department of Welfare, in
consultation with the South African Federal Council on Disability (SAFCD), Disabled
Peoples Organisations (DPOs) and other stakeholders, revise existing national guidelines
for the subsidisation of welfare services and community development initiatives to
facilitate subsidisation of DPOs engaged in the provision of services.
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Recommendation 12b
Social Welfare and Community Development: Residential
Facilities
It is recommended that the Department of Welfare, in
consultation with the Departments of Housing and Health and the South African Federal
Council on Disability (SAFCD), develop national guidelines for the development of
residential facilities for people with disabilities who, as a result of the severity of
their disabilities, require permanent residential care. This would include:
- subsidisation for the physical structure;
- subsidisation for the running of the centres, and
- minimum standards and measures to ensure that the rights of
people with disabilities are protected and their wishes taken into account.
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Recommendation 12c
Social Welfare and Community Development: Personal
Assistance Services
It is recommended that the Department of Welfare, in
consultation with the Department of Health, the South African Federal Council on
Disability (SAFCD) and other stakeholders, initiate pilot projects in urban, rural and
peri-urban settings in order to investigate:
a the feasibility of appropriate, equitable and affordable
home-based Personal Assistance Services (PAS), and
b how these should be linked to the present subsidisation
of residential care and the development of national guidelines and minimum norms and
standards.
Recommendation 12d
Social Welfare and Community Development: Community
Development Services
It is recommended that the Department of Welfare, in
consultation with the Department of Health, the South African Federal Council on
Disability (SAFCD), and other relevant stakeholders in community development, develop
national guidelines and enabling mechanisms for effective inclusion of people with
disabilities in community development initiatives.
Recommendation 12e
Social Welfare and Community Development: Community
based activity centres
It is recommended that the Department of Welfare, in
consultation with the South African Federal Council on Disability (SAFCD), the Departments
of Labour and Health and other stakeholders, develop national guidelines and minimum norms
and standards for the establishment of community and/or residentially based activity
centres for people who are unable to engage in economic activities due to the severity of
their disabilities.
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Recommendation 12f
Social Welfare and Community Development: Personnel
Training
It is recommended that the Department of Welfare, in
consultation with the South African Federal Council on Disability (SAFCD), South African
Management Development Institute (SAMDI), the Interim Social Worker Council and other
relevant stakeholders, facilitate the development of national guidelines and minimum norms
and standards for the development of personnel training packages, including:
a re-orientation of existing personnel;
b induction courses for new personnel, and
c graduate training of social workers in order to develop a
disability sensitive cadre of personnel with a clear understanding of disability as a
human rights and development issue, and the implications of this approach as it relates to
community development.
Recommendation 12g
Social Welfare and Community Development: People with
Severe Mental Disabilities
It is recommended that the South African Human Rights
Commission (SAHRC), in consultation with the Departments of Health and Welfare, the South
African Federal Council on Disability (SAFCD) and other relevant stakeholders, develop
national guidelines and minimum norms and standards for the institutional care for people
with severe mental disabilities, including the development of regular independent
monitoring mechanisms.
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Recommendation 13a
Social Security: Legislation
It is recommended that the Department of Welfare, in
consultation with the Departments of Justice, Labour, Transport, Mineral and Energy
Affairs and Health, the South African Federal Council on Disability (SAFCD), the South
African Law Commission and other relevant stakeholders, facilitate the development of a
coordinated and effective social security legislative and administrative framework, that
will include:
- a review of existing laws that contain social security
components;
- a review of existing administrative procedures, and
- an investigation of the viability of a Social Security Act.
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Recommendation 13b
Social Security: Benefits
It is recommended that the Department of Welfare, in
consultation with the Department of Health, the Office on the Status of Disabled Persons,
Office of the Deputy President, the South African Federal Council on Disability (SAFCD),
the Black Sash and other relevant stakeholders, facilitate an urgent review of the present
system of social security benefits to people with disabilities and children with
disabilities, and to make recommendations for:
- the removal of barriers in the present social security
system which create dependency;
- the removal of punitive assessment mechanisms which lead to
exploitation and corruption;
- the development of appropriate administrative mechanisms and
procedures, including an appeal system, which are fully accessible to all people with
disabilities and their families or advocates;
- the development of national guidelines for the payment of
social benefits to disabled people, either employed in sheltered employment or self
employed (SMME sector), and
- the development of national guidelines to move people with
disabilities receiving social benefits into self- or open labour market employment by
linking them with training opportunities.
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Recommendation 13c
Social Security: Workmen's Compensation
It is recommended that the Department of Labour, in
consultation with the departments of Welfare, the South African Federal Council on
Disability (SAFCD) and other stakeholders, review the national guidelines and minimum
norms and standards for the provision of assistive devices and other assistance under the
Workmen's Compensation Act.
Recommendation 14
Housing
It is recommended that the Department of Housing, in
consultation with the Departments of Welfare and Health, the South African Federal Council
on Disability (SAFCD), the National Housing Board and other relevant stakeholders,
facilitate the development of national guidelines and minimum norms and standards for:
- additional subsidies to the existing housing subsidy scheme;
- subsidies for capital expenditure for residential group
homes, and
- funding for the transformation of existing large
institutions into smaller group home units.
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Recommendation 15a
Sport
It is recommended that the Department of Sport, in
consultation with National Paralympic Committee of South Africa (NAPCOSA), the Special
Olympics, the Department of Education, the National Sports Congress (NSC) and National
Olympic Committee of South Africa (NOCSA), facilitate the development of national
guidelines for the development of sport for disabled people in South Africa. This would
include the development of:
- national norms and standards for public sport and recreation
facilities;
- national guidelines and criteria for the inclusion of sport
for disabled people in national sport development programmes, and
- specific development programmes for sport for disabled
people, both within and out of schools.
Recommendation 15b
Sport
It is recommended that the Office on the Status of Disabled
Persons, Office of the Deputy President, after consultation with the Department of Sport,
enter into discussions with the Olympic Bid Committee, its successor and Cape Town service
providers with a view to ensuring the development towards the Olympic Games includes a
clear policy on disability.
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Recommendation 16
Legislation
It is recommended that the Department of Justice, in
consultation with the Office on the Status of Disabled Persons, Office of the Deputy
President, the South African Federal Council on Disability (SAFCD) and the South African
Law Commission, facilitate a legislative task team to:
a develop and consider recommendations on
anti-discriminatory legislation as it affects people with disabilities, and
b review existing legislation with a view to eliminating
discrimination on the statute books, as well as regulations that result in discriminatory
practices.
Recommendation 17
Monitoring
It is recommended that the Office on the Status of Disabled
Persons, Office of the Deputy President, the South African Human Rights Commission and the
South African Federal Council on Disability make recommendations on a programme to monitor
violations against people with disabilities in South Africa.
Recommendation 18
Inter-Governmental Collaboration: Provincial Disability
Programmes
It is recommended that the Provincial Premiers establish
Disability Programmes in each Province in order to ensure the implementation of disability
policy in all departments.
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Recommendation 19a
Inter-Government Collaboration: National Coordinating
Committee
In order to ensure collaboration between the all spheres of
government and a multi-disciplinary approach between relevant government departments, it
is recommended that a national co-ordinating committee be established and be made up as
follows:
- the Office on the Status of Disabled Persons as principal
coordinator;
- the Directors-General of all relevant government departments
or their nominees;
- representatives of the Disability Desks in the provincial
Premiers' Offices.
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Recommendation 19b
Inter-Government Collaboration: Functions of
Coordinating Committee
It is recommended that the functions of the national
coordinating committee will be to:
- coordinate policy and implementation;
- ensure effective monitoring;
- ensure the commitment of resources;
- negotiate key performance indicators with all role players,
and
- develop effective reporting strategies.
Recommendation 19c
Inter-Government Collaboration: Liaison with
Coordination and Implementation Unit,
Office of the Deputy President
It is further recommended that the coordinating committee
liaise with the Coordination and Implementation Unit in the Office of the Deputy President
through the Office on the Status of Disabled Persons.
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Recommendation 20a
Budgeting for Disability Programmes: Allocation of Funds
by Government Departments
It is noted that the following departments make provision
for specific disability related programmes: Health; Welfare and Population Development;
Education; Labour; Environmental Affairs and Tourism, and Public Works.
It is noted further that departments which need to include
disability related programmes in their functions include: Arts, Culture, Science and
Technology; Housing; Sport and Recreation; Justice; Public Service and Administration;
Trade and Industry; Communications; Transport, and Provincial Affairs and Constitutional
Development.
In order to ensure that the necessary financial and
personnel resources are allocated and integrated within departmental budgets, it is
recommended that:
- provision is made for specific disability related programmes
by government departments which have not yet done so;
- the Office of the Deputy President negotiate key performance
indicators (time frames, performance review mechanisms, departmental policy, programmes,
budgets, staff and staff training) with these departments to ensure the optimal use of the
necessary resources and that, in this regard,
- priority be given to the departments of Health, Labour,
Housing, Trade and Industry and Transport.
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Recommendation 20b
Budgeting for Disability Programmes: Funding of Disabled
People's organisations
It is noted that disabled people's organisations (DPOs) at
present receive limited state funding, despite their impact on the lives of disabled
people, and that such funding is restricted to the provision of subsidies for services and
professional posts. It is therefore recommended that:
- the role of DPOs as representatives of people with
disabilities - both politically and as service providers - be acknowledged, and
- the importance of funding for services provided be reflected
in budget allocations, and that the present negotiations with the Department of Welfare in
this regard be pursued.(1)
Recommendation 20c
Budgeting for Disability Programmes: Other Sources of
Funding for DPOs
It is recommended that:
- in view of the potential loss of revenue to disabled
people's organisations implied by the setting up of the National Lottery
(2), 10% of the total income of the National Lottery be allocated
specifically to the disability sector, in particular to disabled people's organisations;
- the National Development Agency prioritise the disability
sector when allocating funds.
Recommendation 21
People with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
It is recommended that the Office on the Status of Disabled
Persons, Office of the Deputy President, in consultation with the Departments of Health,
Welfare and Labour, the South African Federal Council on Disability (SAFCD) and AIDS NGOs,
develop national guidelines on the relationship between HIV Positive, AIDS and disability
with regard, amongst other things, to definitions, employment equity, access to education
and social security.
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Footnotes
1. See also Recommendation 12a.
2. The lobbying and leadership functions
of disabled people's organisations have thus far been funded through the lotteries of the
Viva and Ithuba Trusts.
APPENDIX A
STRUCTURES THAT MAY BE INVOLVED IN MONITORING DISABILITY
Office on the Status of Disabled Persons. Office of the
Deputy President
South African Human Rights Commission
The Public Protector
The Commission on Gender Equality
The National Youth Commission
The Consumer Council
Public Service Commission
Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA)
The Constitutional Court
Industrial Court
National Economic Development Labour Council (NEDLAC)
Commission for the Protection of Cultural, Linguistic and Religious Communities
South African Federal Council on Disability
Disabled People's Organisations
Other NGOs
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APPENDIX B
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
It is important that terminology and definitions reflect a
definite shift in philosophy and a move away from the present medical/individual approach
to disability. The language needs to reflect the fact that the difficulties learners
experience are not just within themselves. but also in the social environments in which
they are living and learning.
Assistive devices
Assistive devices are any device and ergonomic solution
capable of reducing the handicap experienced by an individual.
Community based rehabilitation (CBR)
Community based rehabilitation is a strategy within
community development for the rehabilitation, equalisation of opportunities and social
integration of all people with disabilities. It is implemented through the combined
efforts of disabled people themselves, their families and communities, and
the
appropriate health, education, vocational and social services. (ILOIWHO/UNESCO Joint
Position Paper, 1994)
It is therefore a strategy for enhancing the quality of
life of disabled people by improving service-delivery, by providing more equitable
opportunities and by promoting and protecting their human rights. (Helander, UNDP, 1994)
Disabled person
"An individual whose prospects of securing and
retaining suitable employment are substantially reduced as a result of physical or mental
impairment" (ILO Convention 159)
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Early childhood development (ECD)
(See ECD Policy Guielines Document)
Environmental accessibility
The term encompasses both accessibility of the built
environment and accessibility in terms of access to communication, for example,
- Design of buildings, nature trails. urban and rural
infrastructure that will ensure inclusive use by all citizens, including wheelchair users
and parents with prams.
- Use of technology that will ensure inclusive use by all
consumers. e.g. the use of Sign Language on television, availability of documents in
Braille and/or on cassette.
Human resource development (HRD)
Human resource development is a set of social investments
which support the development of a healthy educated. stable and productive population. It
addresses the development of human capabilities abilities knowledge and know-how to meet
people s overgrowing needs for goods and services. to improve their standard of living and
quality of life. It is a process in which citizens acquire and develop the knowledge and
skill necessary for occupational tasks and for other social, cultural, intellectual and
political roles that are intrinsic to a vibrant democratic society.
Inclusion
Inclusion implies a change from an 'individual change
model' to a system change model' that emphasises that society has to change to accommodate
diversity, i.e. to accommodate all people. This involves a paradigm shift away from the
specialness' of people to the nature of society and its ability to respond to a wide range
of individual differences.
Independence
Independence is a state of being whereby available and
adequate support services, assistive devices and personal assistance to people with all
disabilities at all levels enables people with disabilities to exercise choice, bear
responsibility and participate fully in society.
Independent living
Independent living implies the ability of a person to live
just like anyone else--with opportunities to make decisions that affect ones life, being
able to pursue activities of ones own choosing. Independent living is having the right and
opportunity to pursue a course of action. It is also having the right to fail--and to
learn from ones failures, just as non-disabled people do.
Mainstreaming
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Mainstreaming focuses on the individual and small groups
within the present system, without any necessary assumption that the system may be flawed
and needs to be changed to make inclusion possible.
National Qualifications Framework (NQF)
(see ECD Policy Guidelines document)
People with speech disabilities
People with limited or no speech (non-speaking people) are
people with normal hearing, but who are unable to express themselves due to a
physical or intellectual impairment or are unable to express themselves through speech.
Personal assistance services (PAS)
Personal assistance services enable people with severe
disabilities to exercise their rights to choice and dignity within their own homes.
Examples of PAS include readers for persons with visual
disabilities; drivers for persons with visual or severe physical, intellectual
disabilities, including people with epilepsy; interpreters/ facilitators for Deaf persons
and non-speaking persons; personal care assistants for people with severe disabilities;
service dogs for people with visual and severe disabilities; advocates for people with
severe intellectual disabilities.
Rehabilitation
The UN Standard Rules define rehabilitation as: '... a
process aimed at enabling persons with disabilities to reach and maintain their optimal
physical, sensory, intellectual, psychiatric and/or social functional levels, thus
providing them with the tools to change their lives towards a higher level of
independence. Rehabilitation may include measures to provide and/or restore functions, or
compensate tor the loss or absence of a function or for a functional limitation. The
rehabilitation process does not involve initial medical care. It includes a wide range of
measures and activities from more basic and general rehabilitation to goal-oriented
activities for instance vocational rehabilitation.'
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SA OuaiIfications Framework (SAGA)
(see ECD Policy)
Social services
Social services is a collective term for services within
the health, welfare and education sectors.
Special Needs Education
Special Needs Education focuses on the education system and
its ability to accommodate learners with different special needs (social model), and
refers to the education of learners with a wide range of educational needs of a
specialised nature. It includes:
- learners who require psychological and educational guidance,
career and counselling services and life-skills:
- learners with sensory, physical and neurological
disabilities;
- learners with varying degrees of mental disabilities;
- learners with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties;
- learners with severe developmental and health disturbances;
- learners with speech and language difficulties;
- disadvantaged learners (in poverty, suffering from chronic
malnutrition, street children);
- learners with general and specific learning disabilities;
- gifted and talented learners.
Support services
Any device, mechanism or strategy that lessens or limits
the handicap and enables people with disabilities to maintain their dignity and to live
independent lives within their communities. It could include personal assistance services
(PAS), assistive devices and specialised equipment.
Vocational rehabilitation
'That part of the continuous and co-ordinated process of
rehabilitation which involves the provision of those vocational services, e.g. vocational
guidance, vocational training and selective placement, designed to enable a disabled
person to secure and retain suitable employment' (ILO Convention 159).
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APPENDIX C
GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS
| ABET |
Adult Basic Education and Training |
| ATM |
Automated Teller Machine
|
| CAAC |
Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication
|
| CANSA |
The Cancer Association of South Africa
|
| DEAFSA |
The Deaf Federation of South Africa
|
| DICAG |
Disabled Children Action Group |
| DPI |
Disabled People International
|
| DPO |
Disabled People's Organisation
|
| DPSA |
Disabled People South Africa |
| ECD |
Early childhood development
|
| ESS |
Education Support Services
|
| HRD |
Human resource development
|
| IBA |
Independent Broadcasting Authority
|
| ICCD |
Interdepartmental Committee on Disability
|
| ILO |
International Labour Organisation
|
| LHR |
Lawyers for Human Rights
|
| LRA |
Labour Relations Act |
| NAPCOSA |
National Paralympic Committee of South Africa
|
| NCCD |
National Co-ordinating Committee on Disability
|
| NCESS |
National Committee for Education Support Services
|
| NCPD |
The National Council for the Physically Disabled
|
| NCSNET |
National Commission on Special Needs in Education and
Training |
| NEAP |
National Environmental Accessibility Programme
|
| NEDLAC |
National Economic Development and Labour Council
|
| NEPA |
Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency
|
| NLC |
National Literacy Co-operative
|
| NOBSA |
The National Organisation of the Blind in South Africa
|
| NPA |
National Plan of Action for Children in South Africa
|
| NQF |
National Qualifications Framework
|
| NTB |
National Training Board
|
| NTI |
National Training Initiative
|
| OTASA |
Occupational Therapy Association of South Africa
|
| PAS |
Personal Assistance Service
|
| QUASA |
The Quadriplegic Association of South Africa |
| SABS |
South African Bureau of Standards
|
| SABWO |
The South African Blind Worker Organisation of South
Africa |
| SADI |
South African Disability Institute
|
| SAFCD |
The South African Federal Council on Disability
|
| SAFMH |
The South African Federation for Mental Health
|
| SAHRC |
South African Human Rights Commission
|
| SANCB |
South African National Council for the Blind
|
| SANEL |
The South African National Epilepsy League
|
| SAQA |
South African Qualifications Authority
|
| SMME |
Small and Medium and Micro-Enterprises
|
| TTESS |
Task Team for Education Support Services (Now called
NCESS) |
| TTY |
Text telephone |
| VET |
Vocational Education and Training
|
| WHO |
World Health Organisation
|
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Last modified: 23 April 2008 12:54:40. |
