NATIONAL DISABILITY STRATEGY DOCUMENT

Issued by: Office of the President

MINISTRY IN THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

PRESS RELEASE

December 3, 1995

PRIORITY AREAS IDENTIFIED IN

Three priority areas for people with disabilities have been identified in the discussion document on the national disability strategy which was made today for the first time.

These are education; employment, income maintenance and social security; and accessibility of the environment, according to National RDP Office Disability Desk director Shuaib Chalklen.

EDUCATION

"The majority of disabled people in SA have had no or little access to educational provision. This situation exists because in the past, very little provision was made for the establishment of special schools for disabled children and government policy prevented disabled children from attending mainstream schools," he says.

"Where this policy was not enforced, disabled children could often not attend mainstream schools because of inaccessible buildings, transport problems and poor teaching facilities."

This scenario has led to researchers estimating that more than 50 per cent of disabled children are presently out of school. Children with disabilities living in rural areas are particularly adversely affected.

The poor provision of education has also led to extremely high levels of illiteracy among disabled adults, he says.

The discussion document recommends

• the establishment of a National Commission on Special Needs in Education and Training to undertake a thorough needs analysis;
• the immediate adoption and implementation of a policy on accessibility of schools in the school building programme; and
• inviting assistance from international agencies (such as UNESCO) to assist with the development of a relevant integrated education policy.

EMPLOYMENT, INCOME MAINTENANCE AND SOCIAL SECURITY

Unemployment among disabled people remains a fundamental problem, with a 1985 survey showing that around 72 per cent of the total disabled population was economically inactive. Research done in 1990 showed that approximately 99 per cent of disabled people were not employed in the formal sector, Chalklen says.

"The high prevalence of unemployment among disabled people is due to a number of factors including inadequate educational provision; discriminatory and ineffective leglislation; discriminatory attitudes by employers; and inadequate provision for vocational rehabilitation."

This situation also means the majority of disabled people are dependent on social welfare grants, and the present system of disability grant allocation and administration is discriminatory, punitive and highly unsatisfactory, he says.

"In 1994/95, around R2,7 billion was allocated for disability grants. A breakdown of the statistics show that the number of black disabled people receiving grants is far less than the actual number of disabled people that should receive grants," Chalklen says.

The discussion document recommends

• the Dept of Labour develops a national strategy for the employment of people with disabilities;
• the GNU ratifies the International Labour Organisation conventions and recommendations;
• the GNU includes national guidelines and enabling mechanisms to include people with disabilities in the Small and Medium Enterprise (SMME) national strategy document;
• and, finally, that the Disabled People Organisation have a representative on SMME structures and in its employ.

ACCESSIBILITY TO THE ENVIRONMENT

Accessibility is the key to freedom for people with disabilities as its ensures freedom of movement and access to information. There are a number of barriers in South Africa's social environment which prevents disabled people from enjoying equal opportunities with able-bodied people.

These include inaccessible buildings and toilet facilities; lack of accessible public transport; inaccessible public services such as libraries, museums, clinics, etc. These are particularly a problem for visually impaired and deaf people.

"We are aiming for an environmentally accessible country, which encompasses both accessibility of the built environ and accessibility in terms of access to communication," Chalklen says.

"For example, the design of buildings, nature trails, urban and rural infrastructure that will ensure inclusive use by all citizens (including wheelchair users and mother with prams); and use of technology that will ensure inclusive use by all consumers, such as using sign language on television and making key documents available in Braille and/or on cassette."

The discussion document recommends the GNU adopts a clear policy with regards to environmental accessibility including

• the immediate review of the National Building Regulations;
• inclusion of environmental accessibility norms within the Public Sector Briefing Document;
• recognition and support for the National Environmental Accessibility Programme;
• allocation of realistic budgets to address environmental upgrade of public buildings;
• introduction of tax incentives to owners of existing private sector buildings;
• a no-access-no-funding policy;
• the development of a national policy and strategy for the development of appropriate technology and legislation regarding Access to Communication and Information; and
• a national strategy for transport of disabled people be developed.

"Historically, disability issues have been addressed in a piecemeal, fragmented fashion. This has been one of the key factors which has contributed to the marginalisation of disabled people and the situation of dire poverty in which the majority find themselves," Chalklen says.

"If the needs of disabled people are to be effectively addressed and the objectives of the RDP are to be met, then disability needs to be fully integrated into the principles, strategies and framework of the National Disability Strategy.

"This will ensure that the effects of apartheid as they have affected disabled people will be eradicated in a sustainable process of reconstruction," he says.

ISSUED BY: Mandy Jean Woods Director: Communications Ministry in the Office of the President (Reconstruction and Development Programme)

Phone: (012) 341-5569 Fax: (012) 341-5569 ext 203 Pager: (011) 804-2777 code 71799

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT MANDY JEAN WOODS OR SHUAIB CHALKLEN AT THE RDP OFFICE IN PRETORIA.