Date: 02/12/2002
Source: Western Cape Provincial Government
Title: Van Schalkwyk: Integrated Provincial Disability Strategy launch
EXTRACT FROM SPEECH BY WESTERN CAPE PREMIER MARTHINUS VAN SCHALKWYK AT THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE INTEGRATED PROVINCIAL DISABILITY STRATEGY, Chris Steytler Industries, Cape Town, 2 December 2002
The Integrated Provincial Disability Strategy (IPDS) is the result of an exhaustive process of consultation and refinement and is one of the most important documents ever published by the Provincial Government of the Western Cape. Not only does the IPDS capture the commitment of every ministry, department, and public servant in the Western Cape to equalise opportunities for people with disabilities in our province, it also serves to elevate the disabled and issues of disability to their rightful place.
I would like to thank every individual, organisation and department who contributed to and participated in the production of the IPDS. In particular I would like to acknowledge the Department of Social Services for taking the lead as far back as 1997, the member organisations of the Western Cape Network on Disability, the government officials from the various provincial departments, the staff of the Directorate of Communication, and Amazon Media for all their assistance in the development process of the IPDS.
The document itself covers four areas, namely the context within which government departments should respond to disability; the prevalence of disability in the Western Cape; the current status of government's response to disability in the Province; and strategic objectives and related actions in response to challenges posed by the human rights and developmental approach to disability. It will be available in the three official languages of the province, Braille, audio tapes, large print on CD, as well as on the website of the Premier.
One of the strategies contained in the IPDS is the enabling strategy that aims to ensure practical and visible change to the lives of people with disabilities at grassroots level, especially in terms of economic empowerment. For this reason the official launch of the IPDS is taking place today at a protective workshop - one of the longest standing government supported initiatives within the disability sector in the Western Cape. The protective workshop industry in the Western Cape is run by some of the major NGOs and comprises of 41 separate protective workshops, which provide employment to 2221 persons with disabilities.
These workshops are subsidised by the Provincial Department of Social Services to the amount of R4 million per year.
We have come to realise, though, that the industry needs to be transformed and for this reason we are in the process of developing a guiding document - one of the first specific actions flowing from the IPDS - incorporating an economic empowerment framework underpinning the new social model and human rights approach to service provision. The Provincial Government of the Western Cape believes that protective workshops, if transformed, can play an even more significant role towards improving the quality of life of many more individuals with disabilities in our province.
For most South Africans the issue of disability is quite often viewed as someone else's problem. The fact is, however, that one in every twenty people in South Africa has some kind of disability and that there estimated to be more than 145 000 people with disabilities in the Western Cape alone. Disability and people living with disabilities are part of our daily life, and the Provincial Government of the Western Cape will ensure that the rights of people with disabilities are respected, supported and promoted. We will do everything in our power to ensure that people with disabilities take up their rightful place in our society.
Our overarching goal in the Western Cape is to build a World Class Province, which cares for all its people. It is therefore absolutely essential that all people from all communities feel included and empowered by their Provincial Government. Lack of access is exclusion. Exclusion is just another word for discrimination and the violation of basic human rights. No community, no group, and no person must ever feel excluded or discriminated against in the Western Cape.
The IPDS will be key in helping us to ensure that people with disabilities in the Western Cape are fully empowered to make the most of their personal potential. Our objective must always be to treat disability not as a health or welfare issue, but rather as an issue of equal opportunity to contribute to society and to be gainfully employed. We must bridge the gap between the disability sector and mainstream society by integrating issues of disability into private and public life.
But ultimately our focus must be on changing approaches to disability. The sooner we can change the attitude from one of seeing the person in the wheelchair as the difficulty to one which views inaccessible stairs or inappropriate facilities as the problem, the sooner we can truly claim to be building the World Class Province which cares for all its people.
Enquiries: Riaan Aucamp @ 083-778-9923
Issued by Office of the Premier, Western Cape
2 December 2002
Source: Western Cape Provincial Government
Title: Van Schalkwyk: Integrated Provincial Disability Strategy launch
EXTRACT FROM SPEECH BY WESTERN CAPE PREMIER MARTHINUS VAN SCHALKWYK AT THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE INTEGRATED PROVINCIAL DISABILITY STRATEGY, Chris Steytler Industries, Cape Town, 2 December 2002
The Integrated Provincial Disability Strategy (IPDS) is the result of an exhaustive process of consultation and refinement and is one of the most important documents ever published by the Provincial Government of the Western Cape. Not only does the IPDS capture the commitment of every ministry, department, and public servant in the Western Cape to equalise opportunities for people with disabilities in our province, it also serves to elevate the disabled and issues of disability to their rightful place.
I would like to thank every individual, organisation and department who contributed to and participated in the production of the IPDS. In particular I would like to acknowledge the Department of Social Services for taking the lead as far back as 1997, the member organisations of the Western Cape Network on Disability, the government officials from the various provincial departments, the staff of the Directorate of Communication, and Amazon Media for all their assistance in the development process of the IPDS.
The document itself covers four areas, namely the context within which government departments should respond to disability; the prevalence of disability in the Western Cape; the current status of government's response to disability in the Province; and strategic objectives and related actions in response to challenges posed by the human rights and developmental approach to disability. It will be available in the three official languages of the province, Braille, audio tapes, large print on CD, as well as on the website of the Premier.
One of the strategies contained in the IPDS is the enabling strategy that aims to ensure practical and visible change to the lives of people with disabilities at grassroots level, especially in terms of economic empowerment. For this reason the official launch of the IPDS is taking place today at a protective workshop - one of the longest standing government supported initiatives within the disability sector in the Western Cape. The protective workshop industry in the Western Cape is run by some of the major NGOs and comprises of 41 separate protective workshops, which provide employment to 2221 persons with disabilities.
These workshops are subsidised by the Provincial Department of Social Services to the amount of R4 million per year.
We have come to realise, though, that the industry needs to be transformed and for this reason we are in the process of developing a guiding document - one of the first specific actions flowing from the IPDS - incorporating an economic empowerment framework underpinning the new social model and human rights approach to service provision. The Provincial Government of the Western Cape believes that protective workshops, if transformed, can play an even more significant role towards improving the quality of life of many more individuals with disabilities in our province.
For most South Africans the issue of disability is quite often viewed as someone else's problem. The fact is, however, that one in every twenty people in South Africa has some kind of disability and that there estimated to be more than 145 000 people with disabilities in the Western Cape alone. Disability and people living with disabilities are part of our daily life, and the Provincial Government of the Western Cape will ensure that the rights of people with disabilities are respected, supported and promoted. We will do everything in our power to ensure that people with disabilities take up their rightful place in our society.
Our overarching goal in the Western Cape is to build a World Class Province, which cares for all its people. It is therefore absolutely essential that all people from all communities feel included and empowered by their Provincial Government. Lack of access is exclusion. Exclusion is just another word for discrimination and the violation of basic human rights. No community, no group, and no person must ever feel excluded or discriminated against in the Western Cape.
The IPDS will be key in helping us to ensure that people with disabilities in the Western Cape are fully empowered to make the most of their personal potential. Our objective must always be to treat disability not as a health or welfare issue, but rather as an issue of equal opportunity to contribute to society and to be gainfully employed. We must bridge the gap between the disability sector and mainstream society by integrating issues of disability into private and public life.
But ultimately our focus must be on changing approaches to disability. The sooner we can change the attitude from one of seeing the person in the wheelchair as the difficulty to one which views inaccessible stairs or inappropriate facilities as the problem, the sooner we can truly claim to be building the World Class Province which cares for all its people.
Enquiries: Riaan Aucamp @ 083-778-9923
Issued by Office of the Premier, Western Cape
2 December 2002
Advertisement
EMAIL THIS ARTICLE SAVE THIS ARTICLE FEEDBACK
To subscribe email subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za or click here
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
