People with disabilities feel left out
“Our schools are not inclusive at all, we also want to access our rights as equal, but we are limited because the schools are just not friendly for the disabled.”
MBOMBELA – November has been dubbed National Disability Month and people living with disabilities in the Lowveld do not feel the need to celebrate it as they feel excluded in so many ways.
Recent occurrences have proven this to be true in every sense.
The MEC for finance, economic development and tourism, Mr Eric Kholwane on Tuesday lambasted the Mercure Hotel for not accommodating people living with disabilities at their hotel.
This was after a breakfast meeting with him, the provincial treasury and banking industry that was set to take place at the facility had to be rescheduled at the last minute because of inconveniences associated with lack of arrangements for people living with disabilities attending the meeting.
“This is an embarrassment, we are not going to leave it unattended. It is obvious that many people have been affected by this and we did not know. Now it is us who have been directly affected and we will set up a meeting with the management of the hotel and address this issue,” stated Kholwane.
The meeting, which was aimed at promoting dialogue between like-minded institutions on common programme of action and was part of an ongoing programme of mobilising and uniting all South Africans around a common vision of economic transformation that puts the country first, was then held at Protea Hotel.
Ligwalagwala FM Radio Personality and Activist, Linda Malope, known to her listeners as Mancane, says she concurs with Kholwane.
“We are not catered for in the province, it is not fair that a hotel would have only one or two rooms, if at all, that cater for people with disabilities. It is also a setback that those rooms would be located on the second or third floor.
How is one expected to react in case of an emergency? We cannot use the steps and yet we are placed on higher floors,” she said.
Mancane also voiced out her concerns on the accessibility of education with regards to the matter.
“Our schools are not inclusive at all, we also want to access our rights as equal, but we are limited because the schools are just not friendly for the disabled.”
Malope says she wants to enjoy her Festive Season just like everyone else, yet she feels limited in the city.
“These entertainment hubs are not friendly as well, we also want to have fun and enjoy ourselves, we plead to them to at least take us seriously,” she concluded.
