President Cyril Ramaphosa says people with disabilities must be involved in conceptualising, developing, implementing and monitoring economic development policies and programmes.
\nThe President was speaking at the Summit on Economic Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, held in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, on Thursday.
\nDelivering the keynote address, President Ramaphosa emphasised that society\u2019s responsibility is not only to protect persons with disabilities from harm, but also to ensure that they are able to realise their full potential and live lives of comfort, security and material well-being.
\n\u201cTo exercise one\u2019s economic rights, one must be able to actively and equally participate in economic activities. One must have access to land, capital, infrastructure and decent work.
\n\u201cThis cannot take place in isolation, but must be part of structural change in the economy that will unlock growth and allow for development,\u201d President Ramaphosa said.
\nThe two-day summit, held on 7 and 8 December 2022, forms part of the Disability Rights Awareness Month (DRAM) which runs from 3 November to 3 December each year, and is coordinated by the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities.
\nThis year\u2019s DRAM is observed under the theme \u201cEmpowering persons with disabilities through resourceful, sustainable and safe environments\u201d.
\nThe President said the summit seeks to advance economic justice, to create opportunities for all people to achieve financial independence and reduce income inequality.
\nHe called on all social partners and participants in the summit to work together to achieve certain outcomes, which include the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of disability across the employment value chain, and that persons with disabilities have equal access to just and favourable conditions of work.
\nHe further called on the partners to work together to enable persons with disabilities to access technical and vocational guidance programmes, placement services and continue training.
\n\u201cWe must promote \u2013 in an active and deliberate manner \u2013 employment opportunities and career advancement for persons with disabilities. This requires appropriate policies, which may include affirmative action programmes, incentives and other measures.
\n\u201cWe also need to mobilise our collective resources \u2013 both public and private \u2013 to promote opportunities for self-employment, entrepreneurship and the development of cooperatives. For its part, government has introduced targeted programmes on economic empowerment that include a procurement target of 7% for companies owned and run by persons with disabilities,\u201d the President said.
\nThe conditions for economic empowerment must be created before individuals enter the labour market or look to start their own business.
\n\u201cWe need to provide quality inclusive education for children with disabilities. This entails improving and strengthening reasonable accommodation support measures for learners in both special and ordinary schools.
\n\u201cWe must ensure that children with disabilities in ordinary schools have accessible learning materials no matter where the school is located. The government has developed a process to review Education White Paper 6 on Inclusive Education towards developing full-service schools and inclusive methods in mainstream schools,\u201d the President said.
\nHe noted that since the location of responsibility for the rights of persons with disabilities was transferred from the Department of Social Development to the Presidency, there has been important progress to address these deficiencies.
\nThe areas of focus include advancing communication methods and developing practical technological solutions for persons with disabilities.
\nNational Disability Rights Machinery
\nTo improve self-representation in decision-making, President Ramaphosa said government has created a consultative platform through the national disability rights machinery, provincial disability forums and representation in local government.
\nHe explained that the Presidential Working Group on Disability works directly with the Presidency on consultation and mandates on legislation and policy.
\n\u201cAs government, we have a responsibility to work with all social partners to empower persons with disabilities and improve their quality of life. This is important for the advancement of a free and just society.
\n\u201cOur Constitution emphasises that everyone is equal before the law and has equal protection and benefit of the law. No person, including the State and private companies, may unfairly discriminate against any person on grounds such as race, gender, belief, age or disability,\u201d President Ramaphosa said.
\nAt a practical level, this means removing barriers that impede the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in all areas of public life, he said.<\/p>\n
Source: South African Government News Agency<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"