Observing the National Disability Rights Awareness Month

South Africa celebrates National Disability Rights Awareness Month annually between 3 November and 3 December. 3 December is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and is also celebrated as National Disability Rights Awareness Day.

The theme for 2021 is: “The Year of Charlotte Mannya Maxeke – Create and Realise an Inclusive Society Upholding Rights of Persons with Disabilities''.

Disability is the consequence of an impairment that may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental, or some combination of these. A disability may be present from birth or occur during a person's lifetime.

By: Nyeleti Shivuri

The Disability Awareness Month offers an opportunity for all of us to remove these barriers and to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities through concrete action.

On Friday 26 November, the Transformation unit hosted a Disability Awareness Session online targeted at staff members who wished to openly discuss any matters related to disability in the workplace.

Dispite a low turnup of staff members, those in attendance were able to learn how people with disabilities wish to be treated, possible ways of assisting a colleague with a disability and most importantly what it means to create a conducive working environment for employees with disabilities.

It was also refreshing to learn that we have beauty pegeants for people with disabilities which means our society is progressively becoming inclusive.