Disability Rights Awareness Month 2016

South Africa commemorates National Disability Rights Awareness Month annually between 3 November and 3 December. 3 December is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and is also commemorated as National Disability Rights Awareness Day.

This year's theme is: “Persons with disabilities – Equal participants in shaping a sustainable future.”

Disability is the consequence of an impairment that may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental, or some combination of these. A disability may be present from birth, or occur during a person's lifetime.

The Department of Social Development is responsible for driving the government’s equity, equality and empowerment agenda in terms of those living with disabilities.

Disability Rights Awareness Month (DRAM) provides South Africa with an opportunity to:

  • Inspire hope and confidence in the ability of South Africans and the state machinery to work together in addressing the common challenges facing persons with disabilities and society in general;
  • Mobilise persons with disabilities around the gains made in protecting, promoting and upholding the rights of persons with disabilities since the adoption of the Freedom Charter 60 years ago and 21 years of democracy;
  • Reach out to the diversity within the disability sector, and acknowledging that all human and socio-economic rights should be equally enjoyed by all persons with disabilities, irrespective of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, impairment, socio-economic status, educational qualification level, religion, culture, employment status or nationality; and to
  • Celebrate the release of the White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which advocates for measures that will hold duty-bearers accountable and strengthen recourse measures for rights-holders whose rights have been violated.

Follow the conversation on Facebook and Twitter via #DRAM2016 and #DisabilityRights

Speeches, statement and advisories:

Services for people with disabilities

Organisations for people with disabilities

Ubuntu Centre South Africa

The Ubuntu Centre South Africa was founded in 2007 as an independent membership based Disabled People’s Organization, run for and by people with psychosocial disabilities. It is registered in the NPO Directorate in the Department of Social Services as a non-profit organisation, and was founded to act as a representative voice of users and survivors of psychiatry so as to challenge their invisibility, discrimination and social isolation. Ubuntu strives to ensure that the rights of users and survivors of psychiatry are respected and upheld and that their dignity, autonomy and wellbeing are promoted and protected.

For more information, contact:
Annie Robb
E-mail: theubuntucentre@gmail.com
Website: https://ubuntucentre.wordpress.com/

National Council for People with Physical Disabilities in South Africa

The National Council for Persons with Physical Disabilities in South Africa (NCPPDSA) is a non-profit organisation and had been in existence since 1939. The NCPPDSA is the national umbrella for nine provincial associations with their 90+ branches. The nine autonomous provincial associations constitute the Council.

Contact:
Therina Wentzel
National Director
Edenvale, Gauteng, South Africa
Tel: 11 452 2774
Website: http://www.ncppdsa.org.za/

National Council for the Blind

We are the umbrella body for over a hundred organisations for and of the blind in South Africa. - See more at: http://www.sancb.org.za/about-us#sthash.fZ05YBT2.dpuf

The National Council for the Blind is the umbrella body for over a hundred organisations for and of the blind in South Africa.

Contact:
Tel: 012 452 3811
Website: http://www.sancb.org.za/

Deaf SA

Tel: 011  482 1610
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeafSA-271471837806

Disabled People South Africa

Tel: 021 422 0357
Email: info@dpsa.org.za

SA Disability Alliance

Jace Nair
Secretary
Cell: 060 967 0258
Email: secretary@sadisability-alliance.co.za

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