90% of disabled people in South Africa are still unemployed

There’s little to celebrate this International Day of Persons with Disabilities as 90% of disabled people in South Africa are still unemployed.

Changes need to be made

Entities have to look at disabilities on a bigger spectrum, paraplegic Deon Torris said. “Schools and the working environment need to be made more accessible for the disabled.”

The disabled struggle with basics such as transport, healthcare and education, Torris said.

“Shops don’t cater for people with disabilities. There are objects in the shops that make it difficult for us to move,” he said.

Most public places were not always suitable for persons with disabilities, Torris added.

He called on the government to assist disabled persons with medical care as the disability grant didn’t cover all expenses.

Adjust

Lesley Pretorius said she was part of the process when her father lost his leg 10 years ago.

“It had a huge effect on how we live. We had to adjust the bathroom because a normal bath wasn’t wheelchair-friendly,” she said.

Public has no regard for disabled people

Her father stopped going out in public after losing his leg, Pretorius said.

“Not only is the public rude to disabled people but people also stared at him. People have no regard for disabled people in wheelchairs and bump into them and walk them out of the way,” she explained.

Her father has stopped working and preferred to stay at home, Pretorius said.

More had to be done to include disabled people in mainstream society and socioeconomic activities, the Lubner Family Foundation said.

The foundation’s chair, Marc Lubner, started the Smile Foundation in 2006 and said by helping the youth seize their future, people ensure the country has a future.

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Compassion and understanding

“Disability, be it physical or mental, must be tackled collaboratively with compassion and an understanding of the intersecting issues faced by those it affects.

“Basic human needs to enable children to develop into functioning, well-rounded adults.”

Lubner said the exclusion of disabled people happened in two ways: those excluded because of poverty and those because services specific to their needs do not exist or were inadequate.

“It was found children living with disabilities in South Africa often face poverty, isolation and discrimination in their communities.

“They also struggle to access basic services such as education, especially in remote or poverty-stricken areas where state systems don’t appear to prioritise them,” he said.

Figures

The results for the National Senior Certificate in 2018 showed that only 3 856 pupils out of 624 733 were classified as having special needs.

“This means 0.6% of those who wrote matric during 2018 were living with disabilities in a country with a disability prevalence of 7.5% of the population,” Lubner said.

Disability Connect‘s managing editor Chris Buchanan said the biggest challenges facing differently abled people are acceptance, accessibility and opportunities in the workplace.

“About 90% of people with disabilities eligible for work are unemployed. Corporates are beginning to embrace the Employment Equity Act as it refers to disabilities and introduces more differently abled people into the work environment,” he said.

But many office buildings were inaccessible – and co-workers are often discriminatory toward people with disabilities, Buchanan said.

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– marizkac@citizen.co.za