By Ephodia Mudau
The department of women, youth and persons with disabilities (DWYPD) partnered with the Limpopo Office of the Premier to conduct a three-day awareness–raising session on how to implement four national strategic frameworks on disability on September 27 to 29 in Polokwane.
The aim was to provide guidance to people with disabilities and service providers of different sectors of society which include government, private sector, and disability sector on what is contained in the frameworksand what is expected of them in terms of service delivery.
The four national strategic frameworks includereasonable accommodation, universal designed access, and awareness raising, all published in October 2021, and self-representation which is still in the process of being approved by the cabinet.
The policy documents were developed to strengthen the disability rights inclusion, integration and mainstreaming in line with the white paper on the rights of persons with disabilities.
“We have realised that most sectors are disempowered in a sense that they do not have access to information, and their rights are not upheld because they do not know what their rights are. They cannot translate their rights into action when certain things are not going how they are supposed to,” said Phuthi Mabelebele, chief director for advocacy and mainstreaming at DWYPD.
Different organisations attended on the three days: disability forum and disabled people organisations; disability rights coordinators of various departments and chapter 9 institutions; and municipal disability rights coordinators.
Mabelebele said, “The frameworks were developed specifically because we do not have legislation, however, we are in the process of developing that legislation called Disability Act.” She added that in the absence of policy guiding service providers on how to mainstream disability inclusion and integration, there would be challenges and gaps in the efficiency of service delivery for persons with disabilities.
Maluta Mulibana, deputy director in the disability coordinating unit of the Limpopo Office of The Premier said, “If we can all contribute toward the implementation of the frameworks, we can do a lot. People with disabilities who attended the session now know their rights. Service providers know their responsibility and how to mainstream disability.”
Yunsa Mbewe, secretary of Vhembe District disability forum, said that he is now aware of how to approach disability issues in the forum and life in general. He also realised that more disability–awareness education needed to be done for service providers.
For more information about the national strategic framework, visit the www.gov.za website.
