The Eastern Cape Department of Transport will launch its rollout programme of the Sign Language Awareness campaign for bus and operators at Mount Ayliff taxi rank on Friday, 12 February 2010 at 09h00.
This launch will be linked with the departmental Exhibition programme, which seeks to take government services to the people. Having been launched on 14 March 2008 by the Special Programmes unit and Public Transport in the directorate, the project serves as a guide to eradicate all forms of marginalisation and discrimination against people with disabilities in the public transport sector
The main objective of the programme is to create awareness through workshops targeting taxi and bus drivers, regarding a friendly and accessible public transport system towards people with disabilities, especially those who are deaf and blind and look to enhance sign language interpretation.
This follows deliberations with Disabled South Africa, which concluded that shortcomings were notified in communication with bus and taxi operators in regard to people with disabilities. The identified factors included:
* operators not understanding sign language of terminal points for deaf people
* operators who are negligent and not obeying disability loading and parking bay regulations
* protection and courtesy to disabled commuters
* road safety signs for the deaf and blind.
With the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup fast approaching, the department believes that the project can assist to prepare public transport services providers because people from all walks of life will be in the country and our province.
The campaign will further be rolled out to other districts as follows:
Venue: Njoli taxi rank, Cacadu
Time: 09h00
Date: 16 February 2010
Venue: Aliwal North taxi rank, Ukhahlamba
Time: 09h00
Date: 24 February 2010
Media Contact:
Ncedo Kumbaca
Cell: 082 44 22 388
Issued by: Department of Roads and Transport, Eastern Cape Provincial Government
9 February 2010
