Hear the struggles of people with disabilities
Imagine facing the following:
- "Yes, there are seats on the flight but we can't give you one because we've reached our quota for peopoe with disabilities on the flight."
- "People with disabilities must be sterilised so they do not give birth to more people with disabilities."
- "You'll have to ask someone to help you withdraw money from the ATM, we don't have ATMs for people of short stature."
- "We can't control your disabled child in our school because they require special attention."
- "Why do you want contraception? You are disabled; no one will have sex with you."
- "I'm sorry; you can't board the bus. We do not have a ramp for people in wheelchairs."
These statements may sound absurd, but these are some of the challenges people with disabilities have to deal with in their daily lives.
November is National Disability Rights Awareness Month. The Department of Social Development will use this year’s month-long campaign to speak to South Africans about the many challenges facing people with disabilities in their daily lives but that most of us take for granted. The time has come for all South Africans to think seriously about how people with disabilities are treated in our country. While the Constitution of the Republic guarantees all of us the same human rights, people with disabilities continue to suffer exclusion in many forms.
During November, the Department of Social Development will ask all South Africans to make a change in their areas of influence – be it in homes, churches, shops, restaurants, businesses, at the workplace, public service points, etc. – to accommodate people with disabilities in order to affirm their status as equal members of society.
The year 2014 has been declared by Minister of Social Development, Bathabile Dlamini, as the year for people with disabilities. As such, Project Mikondzo – the Department’s service delivery improvement programme aimed at responding quicker, more effectively and innovatively to social challenges in the country – will especially be directed at the course of people with disabilities in November.
Members of the media are invited to a media briefing to kick-off National Disability Rights Awareness Month, which will take place as follows:
Date: Monday, 03 November 2014
Time: 09:00
Venue: Department of Communications (Former GCIS) Head Office, Tshedimosetso House, 1035 corner Festival Street and Frances Baard Street, Hatfield
There will be a video link to Imbizo media centre, Cape Town.
Media RSVPs may be directed to:
Jaconia Kobue
Cell: 073 026 1111
Email: jaconiak@dsd.gov.za.
Enquiries:
Lumka Oliphant
Cell: 083 484 8067
Email: lumkao@dsd.gov.za
